


Sincerely, Me

by misCOWculation



Series: Those Bygone Years [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cake, Cats, Dogs, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotionally Repressed, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Guilt, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Inspired by Dr. Frost, Inspired by Naruto, Inspired by Our Times (2014), Light Angst, Medical Trauma, Romance, Suicide Notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-04-30 15:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 70,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14499651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misCOWculation/pseuds/misCOWculation
Summary: Every human has emotions; to find a person without any would simply be incomprehensible. But when Kindaichi Yuutaro inadvertently meets someone who meets that exact criteria, their meetups soon become one big life lesson on teaching her how to feel.Iwasaki Shino can't recall ever feeling anything stronger than annoyance and confusion. But a series of encounters with one Kindaichi Yuutaro shows her that all humans—including her—are capable of feeling.Prequel to Kindergarten Bully.





	1. Turnip

**_A/N: Okaayyy... a prequel to Kindergarten Bully. What happened when Naoko hadn't arrived yet in June._ **

**_Summary:_ **

_**Every human has emotions; to find a person without any would simply be incomprehensible. But when Kindaichi Yuutaro inadvertently meets someone who meets that exact criteria, their meetups soon become one big life lesson on teaching her how to feel.** _

_**Iwasaki Shino can't recall ever feeling anything stronger than annoyance and confusion. But a series of encounters with one Kindaichi Yuutaro shows her that all humans** **—including her—are capable of feeling.** _

* * *

_"Oikawa is an asshole."_

_The girl looked up from her piano. She was just about to start playing, but had been interrupted by her sister opening the front door and slamming it shut. "I don't understand, nee-chan. Who?"_

_Her sister's eyes were smudged with tears and runny mascara. "Never mind. I shouldn't have said anything, sorry. Sorry." She wiped at her face with the back of her wrist, sniffling._

_"It's okay. I forgive you."_

_Her sister's smile wavered. "You make me so sad, Shino. The kind of forgiveness you give out is so cruel."_

_"I don't understand."_

_"That's fine." Her sister moved over to where Shino was sitting at her piano, patting the younger girl's pale blonde hair. "You don't have to."_

* * *

Kunimi Akira exhaled as he kicked a stone, looking the epitome of a bored teenager. He lifted his arm, checking his watch.

 _He's five minutes late already and school starts in fifteen. Yeah, I'm not taking any chances._ Shrugging to himself, he began to walk off, placing earbuds into his ears and letting the world of music consume him.

"ACK! KUNIMI, WAIT UP!"

Kunimi sighed. There went his peaceful morning. "Hey," he drawled without turning back, "You're late again, Kindaichi."

"Sorry!" Kunimi raised an eyebrow at the piece of toast that Kindaichi grasped between his teeth.

_And here I thought that the toast in the mouth was only a girl thing._

"Shall we go?" Kindaichi invited, walking ahead.

"That's what I was doing before you showed up."

Kindaichi flushed. "I overslept, okay? Don't act like it hasn't happened to you before..."

As the two boys made their way to school, they passed by a house that had been recently sold. There used to be an old couple living there, but they passed away a few months ago.

"Have you met the new neighbors yet?" inquired Kindaichi through a mouthful of bread. He swallowed.

"No," Kunimi replied, wholly uninterested.

"I think they have a dog," Kindaichi continued, not discouraged by Kunimi's reaction, or lack of thereof. "I've been hearing barking in the middle of the night. It was only when they moved in that the barking started."

"Cool. Can we please pick up the pace? I don't want to be late."

Kindaichi sighed before grinning. "Yeah, sure."

As the two boys walked away, a girl with long blonde hair exited the house, rolling her bike along the pathway to the gate before opening it and exiting.

Yawning, she stretched, mumbling tiredly before hopping onto her bike and cycling away. On the handles of her bike, her fingers twitched, in sync with a melody that was currently invading her mind. She glanced upward as she cycled past two boys, who hardly spared her a second glance, allowing the sun's rays to warm her face.

Suddenly, a bark sounded and she looked down to see a coal colored small ball of fluff with white socks running alongside her, tail wagging and tongue hanging out of its mouth.

"Hm?" She stopped her bike. "Pochi, what are you doing out here?" She then picked up the dog, who nuzzled her neck. "Kaa-chan and tou-san are going to get worried, you know..." The girl looked backward, her expression never changing as she took in the distance she had traveled from her home to where she was now.  _If I turn back, I'm going to be late._

Her mind made up, she placed the dog in the basket attached to the front of her bike, turning around the vehicle. "Don't give my parents too much trouble, Pochi," she scolded lightly as she pedaled back home.

"Eh? It's her again," Kindaichi said to Kunimi as the blonde-haired girl on the bike zoomed past them again, this time headed in the opposite direction. "I've never seen her around these parts before. Is she the new neighbor?" It would explain why she had a dog in her front basket.

"Me neither," his friend replied, "That's probably it."  _I'm sure that she's in our class, though. Kindaichi just never pays enough attention to our classmates._ He vaguely remembered her face, though it was mostly buried in her arms whenever Kunimi turned around his seat. She sat in the very back row, beside the window.

The pair made it to school just on time, greeted their upperclassmen in the hallways (they had no morning practice on Mondays and it was nice to meet their teammates outside of the sport for once), and entered their classroom just a minute before the teacher did.

Everybody who was loitering around immediately took their seats, Kindaichi and Kunimi included. Kindaichi sat next to the window in the second last row while Kunimi sat to his right. Today, the seat behind Kindaichi was empty. Only Kunimi noticed.

 _It must be hers,_ he thought absently, slouching in his seat.  _She's going to get in trouble._

Attendance had already been marked and class was beginning when the door opened and a latecomer stepped in, a bead of sweat beside one pale blue eye.

"Sorry," she said simply, "I'm late today."

"Iwasaki-san!" the teacher barked, looking as if he were about to snap the chalk in his hand. The entire class winced; their teacher was quite infamous around the school for being one of the strictest and meanest teachers students had ever had the displeasure to encounter. "Why are you late?"

"She's going to get it now," Kindaichi heard one classmate whisper to another.

 _Iwasaki-san?_ Kindaichi thought wondrously.  _Isn't she the girl from this morning?_ _Has she always been in our class?_

"My dog followed me to school so I had to take him home," the girl explained, completely unfazed.

Unfortunately, her cool response seemed to only further agitate the teacher. Five minutes later, Iwasaki had been sent outside with two heavy buckets in her hands, instructed to hold them until she was allowed to return to class.

"Kindaichi!" Fifteen minutes into the lesson, the teacher snapped a question at him. "How would you expand  _cos(θ+α)_?!"

 _What?!_ Kindaichi began to sweat.  _What the hell is that?! We haven't learned anything like that before!_ He swallowed. "Cos... theta plus cos alpha?" he tried lamely.

A dark aura seemed to consume the teacher. And it was at that moment that Kindaichi knew he was doomed.

Kunimi wished to reach over and sympathetically pat Kindaichi on the back, but he wasn't particularly in the mood for heavy lifting.

* * *

Iwasaki Shino stared at the wall in front of her as she held two very heavy buckets of water.  _What a pain. My arms are getting tired..._

Suddenly, the door swung open and a boy with hair spiked up like a turnip was all but pushed outside by the teacher's broad hand. The water in the buckets he was carrying splashed around in the container, a bit spilling over and wetting the tiled floor.

"Geez," he muttered. Some of the water had splattered his pant leg. He turned to Shino. "Oh, it's you. I saw you this morning."

"Hm...?" Shino turned her head slowly to him, her eyes uninterested. "Oh, yes. I saw you too."

Kindaichi sweatdropped.  _Wh-what is with this girl?_ "... You must be new around here. Welcome to Miyagi, I guess..."

"I've lived here all my life."

"Oh. Sorry."

"For what?"

"Huh?" Kindaichi did a double take.  _I thought she would be more offended. Aren't girls supposed to be really sensitive?_ "For... you know what, never mind." He grumbled and tried to stretch out his arms. A silence ensued, one that was becoming far too suffocating for Kindaichi's taste.  _Isn't she going to say anything to me?_ Seeing as she seemed to be zoning out, Kindaichi cleared his throat. "I'm Kindaichi Yuutaro."

"I know."

A vein popped in Kindaichi's cheek. "You don't have to be so rude about it. Don't you know how to make a proper conversation with someone?"

"Isn't that what this is?" Shino tilted her head to one side, looking mildly confused.

"No! Nobody... nobody talks like this. Ah," Kindaichi exhaled exasperatedly, "Whatever. Just tell me your name. All I know is that your family name is Iwasaki."

She stared at him before answering, "Iwasaki Shino."

"What club are you in?"

"I..." Shino trailed off.  _I'm not in a club._ Clubs were compulsory in Aobajosai, but, somehow, Shino had slipped through the system. Nobody had ever called her out on it either because no one ever talked to her. "Music club."

"Oh, I see." Kindaichi nodded. "I'm in the volleyball club. What instrument do you play?"  _Ugh, man, this is so awkward. I'm half-hoping that Hashimoto-sensei will call us back in so I don't have to talk to her anymore..._

"I play piano," Shino answered, and Kindaichi nearly shivered at how plain and clipped her voice was.

 _Is she a robot...?_ "That's... nice," Kindaichi offered lamely.

She didn't reply, simply continuing her staring at the wall.

Kindaichi frowned.  _Weird._

* * *

"I'm home," Shino declared to an house empty of other people. Pochi barked and ran up to greet her, licking her legs as she took off her shoes. "Hello, Pochi. Are kaa-chan and tou-san not home yet?" They normally worked late anyway, so it was really no surprise. She glanced over at Pochi's empty bowl.  _They haven't fed Pochi yet..._ "Come, boy, I'll make you some dinner."

Pochi barked happily, wagging his tail excitedly and nipping at Shino's heels as she walked over to where they kept the dog food in the kitchen. Pochi couldn't keep still as Shino poured food into his bowl agonizingly slowly, not wanting to spill any on the floor. "Eat, Pochi."

The dog didn't need to be told twice.

Shino watched as Pochi ate, content. She sat beside the dog and stroked his fur. "Nee-chan would love to see you again." After all, Pochi had been her dog. Pochi looked up from his green bowl, whining softly. "I miss her too. You know, Pochi, I met someone today."

Pochi cocked his head inquisitively before starting to eat again.

"His name is Kindaichi Yuutaro. And his hair reminds me of a turnip." Distractedly, Shino continued to stroke Pochi's soft fur. "I think I'm going to be seeing him again in the future."

Pochi barked.

"I don't know." She passed her hand through her hair, pulling her bangs upward and revealing a large scar that crept down her forehead. "I don't understand." Shino got up, stretching her back.

Quickly, Pochi devoured the rest of his food and followed her to her piano. Shino sat down, running her fingers over the ivory keys. Then she started to play.

Soothed, Pochi curled around the legs of the chair, his fluffy tail tickling Shino's calves as it flicked back and forth lazily.


	2. Stumble

_"I told you, we should have asked for directions!" a woman snapped at her husband, grabbing his arm and jerking it away from the GPS screen. "God knows that you don't know how to work that thing!"_

_A family of four were currently parked on the side of a highway, the two children watching cars of red, blue, and even yellow zoom by as they hit and went past the speed limit._

_"Oh, be quiet!" Her husband was just as irritated at his wife as he was with his GPS. "I'm working on it, Miho!"_

_In the back seat, the two children_ — _both of them girls_ — _exchanged a glance as their parents fought. The older one grinned, the younger one reflecting that same grin. Their eyes were full of brightness and mischief._

_"Kaa-chan is sooo mad at tou-san!" whispered the older sister. "I bet he phones oba-chan in five minutes."_

_"Ehh?" the younger one quietly exclaimed, eyes growing wider. "Are you sure? Maybe one of us should try helping tou-san work the GPS."_

_Their mother overheard, and she turned back, a tired smile on her face. "You know what? Why don't we try that."_

_"What?!" the man in the driver's seat huffed. "But, Miho_ — _"_

_His wife's chilling glare silenced him._

_"_ — _fine," he relented, a slight pout on his face._

_Happily, the youngest daughter removed her seat belt and crawled toward the front, grabbing her mother's arm for support. Her sister slapped her back, causing her to stumble._

_"Good luck!" her sister said cheerfully. "I know you can do it, Shino!"_

_"Thanks, nee-chan!"_

_"Don't press the escape button!" their father stressed when Shino's chubby finger got too close to said button for his comfort. He shot Miho an accusing stare. "This is all your fault...!"_

_"Oh, hush, you big baby."_

_Their argument, which had seemed a lot more violent and aggressive just moments ago, had calmed down significantly once their baby girl was between them._

_"Hmm..." Shino hummed thoughtfully. She then reached out, deliberating on just which button to press. As three out of four of the Iwasaki family were preoccupied with the GPS, the elder child was left to entertain herself._

_She played with her fingernails and tried to dig some lettuce out of her teeth with her tongue, but to no avail. Bored, she stretched her seat belt by getting on her knees and looking out the side window, then the back window._

_Her eyes widened ever so slightly. Was that car supposed to be speeding right at them?_

_"Umm, tou-san," she started._

_"Quiet!" her father barked. "Argh, Shino, you just reprogrammed the whole thing!"_

_"Sorry, tou-san!"_

_"Kido, just let her do it and don't touch anything!" scolded Miho._

_"Tou-san!" cried the little girl, her voice rising, panicked._

_Both parents turned to their eldest child, exasperated. "What?!"_

_"There's_ — _"_

_Suddenly, the car lurched forward violently, causing the girl in the back to scream shrilly as she was painfully tossed in her seat, her seat belt digging into her soft neck. Her parents shouted as they grabbed their seat belts, moving forward before snapping back, their heads thudding against the head rest._

_And Shino..._

_Miho screamed, watching in horror as the girl's head, embedded with glass from smashing against the windscreen, began to bleed._

* * *

Shino opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the whiteness of the room. She glanced downward, staring at the plain floor. Then she began to walk, never stopping until she reached an assortment of pictures on a wall that was just as white as the room.

She was lucid dreaming. She knew as much, because she had had at least nine other lucid dreams in her lifetime. It wasn't a terribly common occurrence, so when it did happen...

She glanced up at the pictures, recognizing each and every face in each and every portrait. Her eyes lingered on the final one: a teenage girl with a small, tired smile on her face, her blonde hair in a short bob.

"Wake up," she ordered herself. She wanted to reach up and pinch her face, but she didn't have enough control to move her limbs anymore. "Wake up."

Something wet slapped her face.

In a sea of blankets and pillows, Shino opened her eyes for what seemed to be the second time that day. Instead of a white ceiling, she was facing Pochi's charcoal eyes.

"Good morning, Pochi. Thank you." She patted the dog's head and got out of bed. There was no alarm clock by her bedside table. It wasn't healthy to keep an alarm clock—the purpose of an alarm clock was to startle you awake, and that wasn't good as it interrupted your sleep state. Hence, why she never had her curtains closed—human bodies responded to natural light, become stirred awake.

She did, however, have a normal clock by her bedside, and according to that, school would be starting in thirty minutes.

Shino yawned, falling back into her bed. Then she got up again when Pochi jumped on her chest. "Okay, I'm up."

Pochi barked excitedly, circling Shino's legs as she removed her clothes, and following her as she stepped into the shower for a quick douse. The dog patiently waited for her to emerge from the shower, his tail thumping against the white towel she had brought into the bathroom with her.

When she emerged, Pochi started to bark again.

"Go downstairs and eat your breakfast," Shino ordered as she donned her school uniform. "I'll join you in a moment."

Pochi raced down the corridor and Shino could hear his paws pitter-patter down the stairs. Running a comb through her hair once, she collected her school bag and, true to her word, joined her sister's dog—no,  _her_  dog now—for breakfast.

As usual, Miho and Kido were out, having driven to work at least an hour ago, their line of work requiring them to work long hours. Absently, Shino lifted her bangs again and scratched the area around her scar, even though it wasn't feeling particularly itchy at this moment in time.

Her mother had prepared breakfast for her on a plate, and wrapped the entire thing in plastic wrap to preserve freshness of the meal. Shino removed the wrapping and looked down at Pochi, who had his tongue out.

"Thanks for the meal," she said blandly, and dug into her own food just as Pochi shoved his face into his kibble. "Don't eat so fast or you'll get a stomach ache."

There was a soft meow, and Shino glanced upward to see a black cat with green eyes sitting on her windowsill, the tip of its tail twitching expectantly. "Oh, it's you again."

The feline had been showing up every morning at that very windowsill since the Iwasaki family had moved in. Shino was willing to bet that it had belonged to the old couple that used to occupy the house.

Slowly, Shino got up and moved over to the kitchen counter, closing the distance between her and the cat until they were just a meter or two apart. Her movements slow, she opened the fridge door and poured some milk into one of Pochi's extra food bowls. She held it out to the cat, blinking slowly.

The cat blinked back.

Shino nodded, placing the bowl on the windowsill, careful not to have it fall off either side of the ledge.  _When you see a cat, slowly blink at it. If it blinks back, it means that the cat is content with you._

And just as the cat was content with her, she was content with this current moment in the fabric of time. Shino glanced up at the clock. Twenty minutes until school officially started.

It was time to go.

* * *

There were a multitude of other students that arrived to school by bike, so Shino was not surprised when she found the bike stands nearly all filled up. Nearly. She found a spot at the very edge of the bike racks, and was about to park her bike there when a blue-haired boy walked his bike right into hers.

The two stared at each other, their hands on their bikes.

Then the boy—he was a senpai, Shino guessed by his height and size—lifted on arm and pointed an accusing finger at her. "Hey, that's my spot!"

Shino blinked slowly. "Did you buy it?"

"H-huh? Hey, who do you think you're trying to fool?!" The boy grimaced at her. "You're not getting out of this by being funny! Now let me put my bike in. I  _am_ a Student Council Representative, you know."

"If I let you put your bike here, where will I put mine?" Shino inquired.  _Who is this boy? I've never seen him around before. And he says he's a Council Representative too..._

"Look, kid, I don't care. It's already bad enough that I missed this morning's meeting because of my stupid cousin who just so happens to be visiting Miyagi—"

That was oddly specific.

"—I don't need a brat like you trying to boss me, your upperclassman, around! I'm Kitamura Toshio, you know, a representative from the Student Council!"

"You already said that." It seemed like the boy had a habit of repeating himself too.

"Why, I oughta—"

As the boy was about to rant, Shino shoved past him and locked her bike into the rack, securing her spot. Toshio's jaw dropped at her audacity. As she walked to class, he chased after her, abandoning his bike on the floor. "HEY, I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET, FIRST YEAR! HOW DARE YOU IGNORE YOUR SENPAI!"

"What's going on here?" Just as Toshio was about to grab Shino's arm, a third year appeared around the corner, his eyebrow raised.

"Iwaizumi!" Toshio hissed, his face and ears red. "This girl—"

Shino looked at the two and kept on walking to class.

"COME BACK HERE!"

"Hey." Iwaizumi placed one strong hand on the blue-haired boy's shoulder. "Shouldn't you be getting to class, Kitamura-kun? Wouldn't want Shittykawa to show you up again by being late while he's early, do you? Aren't you supposed to be the class representative?"  _Damn narcissist._

"Argh, you're right..." He scowled and called after Shino. "This isn't over yet!"

Iwaizumi Hajime sighed in exasperation and pinched his nose.  _And here I thought that Shittykawa was difficult to deal with._ Sometimes, Kitamura Toshio made Oikawa Tooru look like a patient saint, Iwaizumi had to admit. He didn't talk much to Toshio, because when he did, the conversation would always lead back to the blue-haired boy and nothing else. As Toshio stormed off, Iwaizumi tossed a glance at Shino.  _She's either brave or she doesn't give two shits._ He was opting for the latter.

* * *

Shino tipped her head to one side curiously, wondering why there seemed to be a huge line at the doorway to her classroom. Their homeroom teacher would arrive in five minutes. As she pushed her way to the front of the line, she found that there was a girl with short brown hair blocking the door, grinning.

"It's just a game!" she was saying. "Tell me something I don't know and I'll let you in!"

Shino watched as, slowly, more and more people were accepted into the classroom. Then it was his turn.

"Erm," Kindaichi muttered. "I got nothing..."

"Mechanophilia is the sexual arousal from machines," Kunimi deadpanned as she shouldered his way past Kindaichi and the girl. "Good day. Come on, Kindaichi, hurry up."

"Okay, wow, um," the girl had no words. "Okay, Kindaichi-kun, since you obviously don't have anything for me, I suppose you'll have to wait until sensei gets here or until someone agrees to take you with them after telling me something super interesting."

Unfortunately for Kindaichi, he and a few others were the only ones left. And no one was volunteering.

"Turnip-san."

"What?!" Kindaichi whipped his head around. "Who said that?!"  _'Turnip-san'?!_

Shino appeared beside him, the top of her head reaching his shoulder. "I'll take you inside."

"... Thanks. I think. And don't call me that. Please," he added as an afterthought.

"Alrighty then!" The girl at the doorway clapped her hands together and rubbed them sneakily. "Fire away!"

Shino met her gaze evenly. "Severe depression can cause us to biologically age more by increasing the aging process in cells."

"Hmm..." The girl tapped her chin. "Tell me one more?"

"It's psychologically proven that it only takes four minutes to fall in love."

And the girl stepped back, chuckling, "Well, in those four minutes, I think I just fell in love with your brain. Come on in, everyone! And yes, I mean everyone, because big-and-mean-sensei is coming down the hall."

Everyone squeaked in fear and scattered in the classroom, sitting down just as their sensei stepped in. He grunted (like a gorilla in Shino's opinion) and sat down at his desk. "Time for attendance! And I know some of you didn't attend this morning's assembly, run by Emiko-san. Don't truant again!" He slammed one meaty fist on the table, and the students could feel the flooring underneath their feet vibrate.

Shino put her head in her arms, zoning out until her name was called, and when another that she knew was called next.

"Kindaichi Yuutaro-san!"

Shino lifted her head just as Kindaichi answered, "Here!"

"Kunimi Akira-san!"

"Here."

She was about to bury her face into her sleeves again when the teacher called out another name that was answered by a familiar voice; once she had encountered just minutes earlier.

"Kurokawa Najimi-san!"

The girl who had been blocking everyone at the doorway grinned and shot her hand up. "Here, sir!"

As the teacher got things sorted, Kindaichi turned around and said quietly enough so that only Shino could hear, "Thanks. For before, I mean. Even if you did insult me."

"I'm sorry if you found it insulting," was all Shino could manage before the class had to give their utmost attention to the teacher.

"Turnip-san..." Kindaichi murmured, sweatdropping as he fiddled with his pencil.  _Yeah, right..._

* * *

"Hey, look at this." One teacher passed a paper to another teacher, a frown on his face. "I was sorting through some files for Tachibana-san when I noticed this student's file."

The other teacher adjusted his glasses and scrutinized the paper. "What's wrong with it? Everything seems to be in order."

"Take a closer look."

"What am I supposed to be looking at—ah, I see. Good eye, Nobuyuki-san. This girl doesn't seem to have joined a club yet, even if it's already been three weeks since school started."

"We'll have to assign her a club, then. But what?"

"The principal decides these kinds of things. We should leave it up to him."

The two teachers scratched their heads as they both tried to think of what clubs were available for this student. After looking at her medical file, it was clear what she needed was a club filled with good, supporting people. The martial arts club was too intense and competitive, the cooking club were perfectionists, the swimming club required skills they weren't sure she had, and the drama club were too boisterous and excitable.

"What about the boys volleyball team?" both of them wondered at the same time, giving each other looks.

"But Irihata-san said that girl managers are far too distracting."

The two teachers started to sweat.

_But none of the other clubs are good for her! She'll never make it!_

"Hey, guys, what's up!" Suddenly, two hands descended on their shoulders, making them jump.

"Oh, Tachibana-sensei, it's just you!" one of them sighed.

"Yeah, we thought you might have been Irihata-san, even if he never comes to the staffroom," the other added.

"What's this about Irihata-san?" Tachibana was the faculty member that looked after the drama club. She also happened to be the niece of the principal, but nobody really liked to bring that up.

The two male teachers explained the situation to her.

"Well, that's not good! Oji-san owes me a favor anyway, so I can get him to overrule Irihata-san's decision. Personally, I think it's a little sexist."

 _Yes! Score!_ The two teachers mentally fist-bumped. "Thanks, Tachibana-san. I'm sure that Iwasaki Shino-san will really appreciate it."

* * *

As Shino biked home that day, she felt inexplicable dread crawl up her spine.  _Why do I feel... like something is going to happen soon?_ She halted her bike and looked around.

She relaxed her shoulders. There was nothing here to be accounted for—

Then there was a screeching noise and a frantically braking van slammed into her, sending her sprawling onto the ground, her head thudding against the pavement.

_Right._

_Of course._

Shino sighed through her nose, wincing at the pain that exploded behind her head. Her entire body aching, she pushed herself upward, nursing her head. "Ouch."

"Sorry, sorry!" The van driver got out of his van and helped her up. "I'm sorry! I was supposed to be delivering these volleyball supplies and then my mother called and—" He took a deep breath. "Are you alright?" His voice suddenly took a serious tone.

"I'll be fine," Shino assured him. "Just... sore. The van wasn't going very fast when it hit me."

"I'll make it up to you somehow," he promised her, guilt flooding his gaze as he gave her a once over, noting her uniform. "I work at Aobajosai, actually, as a coach for the boy's volleyball team. When you know what can I do to repay you, just ask for Mizoguchi Sadayuki." He sighed, his brow furrowing. "I'm not usually this careless. I'm truly sorry. Do you need a ride home?"

"That's alright, my house is less than five minutes away from here, even if I walk."

"If you say so." He gave her another guilty glance. "Again, I'm so sorry."

"Don't mind."

As he drove away, she squeezed her eyes shut, seeing stars in the dark. "How troublesome..."

* * *

_**A/N:** _ **_Kitamura Toshio and Tachibana-sensei are both my OCs from Kindergarten Bully._ **


	3. Trip

"Iwasaki-san!" A boy popped his head through the door, mouth wide open as he called, "Iwasaki-san, the principal wants to see you in his office!"

"Oh, okay." Shino stood up from her seat, impassive. "Thank you."

Curious, Kindaichi's gaze trailed after her before he turned to Kunimi, who was snacking on some pretzels, his earbuds in his ears. "Think she's in trouble...?"

Kunimi removed his left earbud. "Maybe. She's a bit unpredictable, don't you think? She consistently gets good grades in class—"

"I remember when she beat you in a math exam on the first week and you were moody for the rest of the day," Kindaichi recalled, chuckling at the memory.

Kunimi gave him an annoyed glance. "You didn't even know her name until a few days ago. How do you remember that incident but not her face or name?"

"It just didn't occur to me!" Kindaichi defended, raising his arms up. "I just remember that something like that happened. After finally meeting her, I remembered."

"Hah." Kunimi snorted. "As I was saying, she can be unpredictable. She gets good grades despite spending most of her time sleeping during lessons and she doesn't even fear our math sensei."

"You don't either."

"That's because I know how to stay on his good side. Her, on the other hand... She just doesn't care, and that's what makes her strange."

At the principal's office, two men were having a debate about something.

"Tachibana-san," Irihata insisted, "I made it clear that I was to have no girls managing my team. You have no idea how distracted the boys get. Not to mention that they're only ever there for Oikawa-san. I've had at least twenty five trial members last year and all of them joined only for their selfish desires."  _The team's better off without a female manager._ And if no males expressed their interest in the managing position, that was fine too. Aobajosai's volleyball team was doing just fine as it is, and Irihata didn't exactly need any drastic changes made.

"Irihata-san," Principal Tachibana said, sighing, "I'm ordering you to reconsider; just make an exception for this girl." His eyes hardened. "You will give her the standard trial period for a manager, and you will only remove her at the end of the trial period if you don't see her fit to be a full member of your team."

Irihata frowned and opened his mouth to argue again, "Tachibana-san—"

"She will start today." There was a tone of finality in his voice that not even the hardened Coach Irihata could fight. Inwardly, the old man Tachibana was just tired.  _The things I do for that niece of mine..._

The door knocked and Irihata turned his head ever so slightly.

"Come in!" called Principal Tachibana, able to guess just who it was. A small figure stepped into the room, face stony. "Ah, welcome, Iwasaki-san. We were just discussing you. It has recently come to my attention that you're not in a club. Is that correct?"

"It is," Shino replied.

"Then everything's in order for you. Effective from today, you are the manager of the boy's volleyball team. Dismissed."

* * *

They hadn't even consulted her, and that was quite irritating at the least. But there was nothing she could do about it now, so Shino simply returned to class.

_Kindaichi mentioned that he was in the volleyball team. Interesting._

She kept her head down until after school, when after school volleyball practice was to take place in the largest gymnasium on campus.

Then she made her way down to where she was sure the boys were, opening the door, said door slamming against the wall after being flung open.

The boys were currently doing their practice, and only Coach Irihata noticed her come in, despite the disturbance.

"Iwasaki-san," he acknowledged.

"Coach," she returned with a small nod. "What does being a manager entail?"

"Well, first off, it'd be best if you get acquainted with the team. Is that alright with you?" The tone in his voice spoke volumes; he was expecting her to readily—enthusastically—agree.

Instead, she only stared ahead, fixing her gaze on a ball that was in the air before being smacked downward by a broad palm. "That will be fine." She'd have to meet them and get to know them sooner or later anyway.  _Might as well start now._

"Boys!" Irihata boomed, and all of them stopped what they were doing. A ball fell out of one of the boys' hands and rolled toward Shino's feet. "As of today, we have a new girl manager." They all crowded around, eyes curious, and Irihata turned to Shino. "Iwasaki-san?"

Shino did not bow to them like others had done before her. "My name is Iwasaki Shino. Please take care of me."

There was a silence.

Then Coach Irihata stepped back and allowed the boys to crowd around her even more.

"Nice to meet you, Iwasaki-san!"

"Uwah, she's pretty cute~"

"Don't say such creepy things, Makki."

"I was just saying!"

"Welcome to the team, Iwasaki-san."

"It's odd," Iwaizumi, the only other person besides Kindaichi and Kunimi she recognized, spoke up, "I was under the impression that we wouldn't be getting anymore female managers after the potato incident." He gave the Head Coach a questioning glance, and the older man sighed.

"I thought the same, but the principal disagreed."

"Potato incident?" Kunimi muttered while Kindaichi approached Shino.

"Iwasaki-chan," he started, "I thought you said you were in the music club!"  _Why did she lie to me?_ Considering they weren't exactly the best of friends, he was more confused than hurt or anything else.

Shino shrugged. "I had to feed you a lie. It was unavoidable."

"Hi there!" Kindaichi was forced to make room for a brunet boy who held out his hand for Shino to shake, grinning. "The name's Yahaba Shigeru—"

"The captain's gay ass protégé!" the strawberry blond—Makki, if Shino remembered correctly—called obnoxiously. The dark-haired boy beside Makki laughed.

"Oi, shut up, you bastards! What kind of upperclassmen are you two?!" Yahaba screeched back. He cleared his throat, cheeks red. "Sorry about that. Those two are my senpais but they might not act like it sometimes. It's nice to meet you, anyway, Iwasaki-san."

Shino glanced at his hand before shaking it, her grip limp. "Likewise."

Yahaba deflated slightly.  _Something tells me I won't be getting her number anytime soon._

Watari the libero made himself known, followed by Iwaizumi, Makki and Mattsun, and the rest of the team. The only person missing was the captain, whose name Shino still hadn't caught. It was too bad—he was talked about every day but she could never find it within herself to pay much attention to gossip. Not unless she deemed it important.

There'd been someone she knew in her childhood, a bright girl called Ueno Konami, who had been hailed as a genius. It was her who paid attention to talk, not Shino, even if the latter did lend an ear from time to time.

"Our captain's not here yet," Iwaizumi was saying to her, mirroring her thoughts, "But he—"

Iwaizumi was cut off when the doors swung open for second time that day. "Yoohoo~! Hi, everyone, hi, Iwa-chan!"

Both Shino and Iwaizumi raised their eyebrows at the captain's dynamic entrance. Following behind the brunet was a middle-aged man dressed in a tracksuit.

Shino knew that man.

"Shittykawa," Iwaizumi greeted.

"Save your meanness for another time, Iwa-chan!" the captain exclaimed. "Because it seems we have a new lady manager according to Coach!"

All eyes turned to Mizoguchi for one split second.

"Hey, there." The captain's attention was focused solely on Shino now. "I'm Oikawa Tooru, but I'm sure you already know that~ What's your name?"

 _Oikawa_ —

— _Tooru._

She did not take the hand outstretched to her. "Iwasaki Shino." She did not miss the way his face fell either.

"Oh."

Something she hadn't felt in a long time bubbled at the pit of her stomach. She did not care that two coaches were watching, nor did she care that the entire team was watching too, including her classmates, Kindaichi and Kunimi.

"How does it feel," she hissed, eyes narrowing. Kindaichi flinched at her first real display of emotion he'd ever seen. "Oikawa Tooru-san. How does it feel to be a murderer?"

* * *

_Shino let her long, spindly fingers spin melodies on the alabaster keys, her foot controlling the soundboard with the pedals._

_"I'm home!" a voice trilled, and Shino gradually ceased her playing, lifting her head to see her big sister step through the door. She was in her first year of high school; Shino was in her second year of middle school._

_"Welcome back, Sayori-nee," Shino greeted monotonously. "You look... excited."_

_Sayori squealed. "You'll never believe it, but... I'm seeing someone!" She held her breath, waiting for Shino's reaction._

_The girl blinked. "I don't understand."_

_Instsntly, Sayori deflated before laughing good-naturedly. "You'll understand it in the future."_

_"Will I?"_

_Sayori averted her gaze. "M-maybe... Anyway!" She forced a grin. "His name is...! Actually, I won't say. It's supposed to be a secret!" Sayori brought her pointer finger to her plump lips. "Don't tell kaa-chan and otou-san either~"_

_Shino nodded once before returning to her playing. "I understand."_

_Her big sister shot her a grateful smile. "I knew you would."_

* * *

Practice ended early that day.

* * *

That night, Shino lay in bed, falling asleep almost immediately. She found herself in the white room again, and walked in a familiar pace until she stumbled once more upon the portraits.

"Nee-chan," Shino addressed, staring at her sister's portrait. "I acted irrationally today. I couldn't help myself. It was almost as if..." She shook her head. "It was not his fault. I know that, Sayori-nee.

It was mine."

* * *

**_A/N: Bit of a short chapter. Sayori's name in itself is a clue with her ultimate fate, but only for those who have played or know about Doki Doki Literature Club..._ **

**_... I said too much._ **


	4. Glide

_"Sayori!" Miho exclaimed, exasperated as she looked down at her quivering daughter. The little girl held two stuffed toys in her arms: one was a bunny and the other was a bear._

_"B-but..." Sayori's bottom lip trembled, her eyes welling up with unshed tears. "It's... Its mine."_

_"Stop being so selfish," Miho reprimanded, snatching the bear toy from Sayori. "Your sister doesn't have her toys here. Do you not want her to recover fast? Honestly, Sayori, dear..."_

_"... Okay." Sayori sniffed._ I have to... Shino-chan is injured and I'm being a bad sister...  _She rubbed at her eyes to try and chase the tears away. They dribbled down her chubby cheeks instead._

_Mournfully, she watched her mother turn her back to her, stuffed bear in hand, and knock on the door of Shino's hospital room. "Honey, it's me~ I've brought something for you."_

* * *

The first thing she did that morning was find Oikawa, which proved to be more troublesome than she had expected. She asked a third year girl with red hair for his whereabouts, but she had simply scowled at her.

"You're not part of the club!" the red-haired girl hissed. "Get out of my face, freak. Like hell I'm telling you where Oikawa is."

"Anzu!" someone called to her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming..." Anzu stormed away, leaving Shino to stand in the middle of the hallway, staring after her.

"Troublesome," Shino murmured as she looked around, wondering which third year she should ask next. She tapped the shoulder of a purple-haired girl with twin drills. "Excuse me, senpai, do you know where I can find Oikawa Tooru-san?"

The girl smiled. "Sure! He's in class 3-4. If you need any other help from me, just ask for Ayame!" Ayame winked at her. "Good luck~"

"Eh?" Shino tilted her head to one side as Ayame pranced off, joining up with another third year girl with green hair. "Why did she wink at me like that...?"

Dismissing Ayame's strange behavior, Shino made her way down to Oikawa's classroom, intent on apologizing. She had been out of line today, and had noticed that there'd been an awkward atmosphere the entire practice.

Her day made a turn for the better when she ran into him near his classroom. "Oikawa-san."

"Eh? Iwasaki-chan...?" Oikawa blinked at her.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday's outburst." Closing her eyes, Shino bowed to him at the waist. "It was out of line. Whatever happened in the past was not your fault."  _It's mine._

"Iwasaki-chan... I..." Oikawa trailed off, a small, troubled frown on his face. "I'm sorry about her."

"I know. You couldn't have known." She straightened.

Awkwardly, Oikawa rubbed the back of his head. "Are we cool then? Can we put this behind us?"

Shino nodded. "That would be best."

"Well, then..." Oikawa perked up and slung an arm around her shoulders, though his eyes were still a little sad. "Welcome to the team, Iwasaki-chan~! I'm Oikawa Tooru, captain of the boy's volleyball team!"  _If she's anything like Sayori-chan was, she'll be fun to have around. A new dynamic._ Guilt pricked at his heart but he chased it away. "Are you ready to take on your manager duties?"

"Yes."

"Good! I'll see you at practice, then. Don't be shy, Iwasaki-chan." Oikawa paused. "Can I call you Shino-chan?"

"Yes."

He'd been hoping to get more than a one word answer from her, but it would do, he supposed. They parted ways with halfhearted waves, Oikawa disappearing into his classroom and Shino heading down to the first floor, where the first year classrooms were.

Oikawa held in a sigh as he sat down, a few of his fangirls turning their heads in his direction.  _Sayori-chan... I'm sorry. I thought I'd moved on, but apparently not. It's like you're haunting me through your sister._ Save for her longer hair, Shino could almost be considered a carbon copy of Sayori. But Sayori had been bubbly and energetic, while Shino...

Was simply not.

* * *

_"How does it feel to be a murderer?"_

The sheer intensity that she said those words with still shook Kindaichi to the core, and he was suddenly very, very aware of her presence behind him in the classroom. His neck ached from stiffly turning around without the teacher noticing every five minutes, even if he always knew what he was going to see: Iwasaki Shino, her head buried in her arms and seemingly fast asleep.

Kindaichi's grip on his pen tightened.  _What the hell did she mean? Oikawa-senpai, a murderer? That's..._ He turned around again, and his already stiff neck protested.  _Ridiculous._ She'd made things so incredibly awkward that practice had been suffocating. None of them had been able to pay much attention to practice, and so Oikawa and the coaches all made the decision to end that disastrous session early.

 _What's her deal?_ Kindaichi narrowed his eyes at the blackboard.  _She's so... frustrating._ She had had absolutely no right to accuse Oikawa of such a ludicrous thing, and to ruin their practice with her poisonous words.

 _She sounded so angry as well._  It'd been the most emotion he'd ever heard in her bland, colorless voice. What _if..._ Kindaichi shook his head.  _No way! There's no way Oikawa could ever kill somebody._ Yes, Oikawa could be an ass at times, especially with girls. Yes, he could be immature. But a murderer?

 _Right, and Kunimi has a fetish for slippers,_ Kindaichi thought sardonically.

Beside him, Kunimi sneezed, proceeding to wipe his nose after that.

"Iwasaki-san!" Their gorilla of a teacher barked, his teeth grinding angrily as he stood to the side to allow the students to see the math equations he'd written on the board.

 _Aw, shit, he's doing it again._ Kindaichi grimaced. Their math teacher, who also happened to be their homeroom teacher, had a very annoying habit of getting students to answer questions about content the class hadn't even covered yet.  _Iwasaki-san's in big trouble now..._

Shino lifted her head from the desk, eyes at half-mast. "Yes, sensei?"

"Come here and solve this equation from the board."

"Yes, sensei." Her chair squeaked as she got up, yawning as she took the chalk from the teacher and held it up in the air, eyes scanning the question. "We haven't learnt this, sir."

There was a collective gasp from the class, and Kindaichi was ashamed to admit that he was the source of one of those gasps. Kunimi shot him a sideways glance, seemingly unconcerned. If this girl could top even Kunimi in math, then she could probably solve this ridiculous question.

"Talk back to me again and I'll send you to the principal's office," the teacher growled, a dark aura exuding from his skin. "Well, Iwasaki?! What are you waiting for? Do it! Maybe if you spent less time sleeping in class, then you'd know!"

Sighing softly, Shino read the question again in her head.

_From a point A, the angle of elevation to the top of a tower due north of it is 20 degrees. From B, due east of the tower, the angle of elevation is 18 degrees. A and B are 100 meters apart. Let the top of the tower be point T and the base point C. Show the height h of the tower is given by: h = 100/[tan^2(72)+tan^2(70)]^1/2._

Shino woke up a little bit more.  _Konami-chan would know how to do this. Konami-chan knows how to do everything._ Unfortunately, she was  _not_ Ueno Konami, but she could try. If she remembered correctly, Konami had showed her a textbook on three-dimensional trigonometry problems once.

They'd only been eight.

Shino began to draw, starting first with a slanted compass shaped like a cross, labeling the appropriate angles and points.

Kindaichi exchanged a glance with Kunimi.  _Is she actually...?_

Once she was satisfied with her drawing, she began to solve the question, feeling the gaze of her classmates on her back. Everyone had clearly expected her to give up and not even attempt the question, but...

There was no harm in trying.

Once she was finished, she stepped to the side, opposite the teacher, and allowed him and the class to check her working out.

_In Triangle ATC, AC/h = tan(70) AC = htan(70)_

_In Triangle BTC, BC/h = tan(72) BC = htan(72)_

_AB^2 = BC^2+AC^2_

_100^2 = h^2tan^2(72)+h^2tan^2(70)_

_100^2 = h^2[tan^2(72)+tan^2(70)]_

_h^2 = 100^2/[_ _tan^2(72)+tan^2(70)]_

_h = 100/[tan^2(72)+tan^2(70)]^1/2_

Accompanying the equations were some little triangles with additional angles solved using basic trigonometry, something that was learned in middle school.

"... You may go back to your seat, Iwasaki-san." The teacher kept his gaze fixed on her.

"Yes, sensei."

The bell rang promptly, and there would be a ten minute break before the next class, English, began. Kindaichi's desk lurched as he leaned forward to grab Shino's vest. "Hey, Iwasaki-chan! What was that all about?"

Kunimi had also turned his chair to face her, forming some kind of barrier around her. There seemed to be many other students wondering the same thing, but none of them approached her, seeing as Kindaichi and Kunimi seemed to be protecting her.

"How could you have done such a complex question?" Kindaichi all but demanded, his eyebrows knitted in a frown.  _Is she some kind of genius?_

"My friend taught me," Shino said shortly. "Kunimi-san, you left one of your textbooks on your desk one day. It was a trigonometry textbook with questions just like the one I did. You understood the question too, didn't you?"

"What?!" Kindaichi turned to his best friend.  _Kunimi too?!_ "Is she right...?"

A very, very slight blush adorned Kunimi's face. "Maybe. I didn't start doing that textbook until last week, and even then, I haven't done much of it. It was simply luck that Shino was given one of the simpler questions from the textbook... You could have probably figured it out too, Kindaichi."

"I haven't done those kinds of questions since young," Shino added, "When my friend was still around. Kunimi's right—if you thought about it long enough, you could have solved it too."

"Still..." A bead of sweat on his cheek, Kindaichi puffed a sigh. "You two make me feel inadequate."

"You can catch up easily enough when we do get to the content," Kunimi stated. "Just because we're studying ahead doesn't mean we're smarter than you."

"I guess..." It was then Kindaichi realized just how relaxed he felt in Shino's presence. After yesterday, he wasn't sure if he would be able to ever feel that way around her. "Hey, Iwasaki-san?"

"Yes, Tu—Kindaichi-san?"

Ignoring the fact that she had obviously been about to call him a turnip again, Kindaichi went on, "About yesterday... When you snapped at Oikawa-senpai..."

"I'm curious about that too," Kunimi voiced, eyebrows lifting ever so slightly. "You did accuse him of being a murderer, you know."

Shino closed her eyes. "Oikawa-san and I have already resolved the matter. It's nothing you need to worry about. It won't ever happen again."

"It better not." Kindaichi propped his head up on his hand. "Do you have any idea how awkward it was?"

Kunimi hummed in agreement. "Even Mizoguchi-san was in favor of ending practice early."  _God knows that man has it out for me._

"Mizoguchi-san...?" Shino looked just a tad more interested, her hand reaching for her head.  _That's right, he was there, wasn't he? The man who hit me with his van._

They decided to change the subject to something less heavy.

"How do you normally study, Iwasaki-san?" Kindaichi inquired. "With your friends? Or by yourself?"

"I don't really study much. But when I do, it's by myself," Shino answered calmly. "I was only able to do that question out of sheer luck and logic. It was a childhood friend of mine who taught me how to use my brain analytically."

Kunimi observed her with lazy eyes.  _She's only ever mentioned this one friend. They obviously don't see each other very often anymore. She never talks to anyone in this class either._ Well, except for them now. He couldn't speak for what she did outside of class or school, but he was willing to bet that she had very little friends, if any at all. He tilted his head to see Kurokawa Najimi doodling inappropriate drawings on the blackboard, her tongue sticking out cheekily at a friend.

"...nimi! Kunimi!" Kindaichi nudged his best friend with his foot.

"What?"

"I was just saying that you prefer studying alone as well," Kindaichi informed him. "What were you thinking about?"

Kunimi saw no point in beating around the bush. "Iwasaki-san, do you have any friends at school?"

Kindaichi recoiled slightly at his friend's forthrightness.  _He could have phrased it a lot better._ But he couldn't really blame Kunimi, especially since he'd been thinking the same thing. Until she had moved into their neighborhood and joined the volleyball team, the two boys hadn't really acknowledged her existence much. Until recently, she had just been another face in the crowd.

"None." Shino's voice did not waver as she said this, and her posture remained relaxed.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Kindaichi wondered.

"No, it doesn't."

Kunimi and Kindaichi exchanged a glance. And before he knew it, Kindaichi blurted, "Why don't you hang out with us—er, the  _team_ —after school then? You're our manager now, so..."

"She might have other commitments," Kunimi mused, flicking his gaze toward her. "Do you, Iwasaki-san?"

Shino shook her head. "No, I don't. I... don't mind hanging out, if you'll have me."  _Odd. How did a confrontation about a math problem turn into this?_ Her fingers twitched, and she suddenly found herself longing for her piano, or perhaps the three dimensional puzzle that she took out once in a while.

"Then it's settled. Oikawa-senpai says that we're going to the rollerskating rink after practice to enjoy ourselves; you can come with us," Kindaichi decided. "Not everyone's going to be there because some of the third and second years have homework part time jobs, but it'll still be fun."

"Have you checked the LINE yet to see who's coming?" Kunimi asked.

Kindaichi took out his phone. "Let me check now..." It turned out that there were less people going that he expected: Just them—now including Shino—Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Yahaba.

"After practice?" Shino said just to confirm.

"Yeah. Don't stress out too much if you don't know how to skate—we can teach you."  _I still kind of owe you one for getting me in the classroom when Kurokawa-san was blocking it._

Shino nodded distractedly, watching Kurokawa Najimi frantically rub at her rude drawings before the teacher came in. "I'd like that."

* * *

"Uwooohhh!" Oikawa grinned as Shino walked with them to the gates after practice. "Kindaichi-san wasn't kidding when he said that you were tagging along. We're glad to have you here, Shino-chan—finally, we can get to know you better~"

"Thank you for having me," Shino said politely.

"Hey, no thanks needed," Iwaizumi replied, smiling. "You're part of the team now, Iwasaki-san."

In the setting sun, Shino pulled something out of her book bag, Yahaba being the only one to notice. "What's that you've got there, Iwasaki-chan?"

"Rubik's Cube," she answered shortly, fiddling with the puzzle. "It helps me relax."

"Are we making you feel tense?" Kunimi asked.

"No, not really. I don't really feel anything around you."

They all sweatdropped. Was that supposed to be an insult? It sure sounded like one, but they knew that it wasn't her intention. She seemed like a very forthright type of person.

They stopped walking when they reached a van, Mizoguchi leaning against it, arms crossed. "Oh, hey, there you guys are." He made some sort of grimace-smirk. "After that dismal practice, I'm reconsidering my decision to drive you to the rink."

"Ah, Mizoguchi-san," Oikawa said, "The team tried hard today and I think we deserve to unwind a bit after school. We'll owe you one?"

"It's fine." Mizoguchi waved his hand at them. "I agreed to this weeks ago. Kids these days..." He cleared his throat. "Just don't expect me to be driving you around everywhere. You just happened to catch me in a good mood the other day."

"Duly noted," Oikawa chuckled.

As the boys climbed into his van one by one, buckling their seat belts, Mizoguchi noticed Shino lingering behind the pack, having been covered up by Kindaichi and Kunimi before.

"Oh, Iwasaki-san." Mizoguchi's face became apologetic. "Again, sorry about the other day."  _That'll teach me not to try and pick up my phone while I'm driving... even it was a deserted street._

"It's fine, Mizoguchi-san."

She sat in the middle row, next the window. To her right was Kindaichi; to  _his_  right was Kunimi, who was scrolling through his phone.

"Did you mean what you said before?" Kindaichi said to Shino as the others began their own conversations. The girl looked up from her cube. She had already solved that thing four times and was in the process of mixing it up again. "How you didn't feel anything around us?"  _How can she not feel_ anything _?_ Surely, she had to feel something around them. Happy, excited, joyful...Heck, he'd even take nervous or anxious.  _Maybe she was just being defensive because she's shy._ But Shino definitely wasn't the shy type—she didn't fit the criteria of a shy girl. Shy girls didn't regularly defy their beastly math teacher, or accuse the volleyball captain of being a murderer.

"Yes," she admitted, her fingers working the cube even as she remained her eye contact with him. "Why do you ask?"

"Dunno. I was just... expecting you to feel  _something_ around us, I guess. Weren't you nervous? Most girls get nervous around lots of guys, I guess..."

Shino shook her head. "I cannot feel nervous."

Kindaichi blinked at her odd lexical choice.  _'Cannot'? What does she mean, 'cannot'? She makes it sound like she's physically incapable of feeling nervous. Heh, I forgot how weird she is..._

"Why not?" Kindaichi nearly jumped when Kunimi's voice sounded next to his ear. He'd been under the impression that his best friend was lost in the world of music.

If Shino heard, she ignored him.

It was then Mizoguchi announced, "We're here!"

* * *

_"Whee! Nee-chan, catch me!" Five year old Shino rolled over to Sayori, arms spread wide._

_"Whoa, there!" Sayori let out a small "oomph" when she caught Shino, knees bending inward. Grinning, Sayori swung her sister around. "Fly, fly, fly, Shino-chan!"_

_"I'm flying!" Shino shrieked excitedly, her bangs blowing upward momentarily to reveal her unblemished forehead. "Can't catch me, Sayori-nee~!"_

_"We'll see about that!"_

* * *

"Kindaichi-san?" Shino said as she tied her skates, straight-faced. Idly, she scratched the area around the scar on the front of her head, the one that crept down her forehead and her parietal ridge.

The boy turned to her. "Yeah?"

"Do you know how to do the 'helicopter'?"

"Ehh?!"

* * *

Pochi climbed into bed with her, tail thumping against the mattress as Shino stroked his fur. He whined contently, burying his face into her side, his cold nose tickling her skin underneath her pyjamas.

"Today," she told the dog as her eyes shut, "Was nice."

She did not dream of the white room that night.

* * *

_**A/N:** _ _**I should give credit to my inspiration for this story: DR. FROST. It's a frickin great webtoon that was the main inspiration for Shino, scar, Rubik's Cube and all. And one of the arcs in that story inspired Sayori and her fate.** _

_**And yes, these three nerds (Kindaichi, Kunimi, Shino) bonded over math. Did anyone try to solve the question alongside her? Because it was a legit question.** _


	5. Catch

"Phew!" Kindaichi tilted his head back and let the cool water soak his face, sighing in bliss. "Thanks, Iwasaki-san."

She shrugged. "You were looking particularly thirsty." Shino stepped back from him, off to tend to another matter that involved her, the team manager. "It's important to keep hydrated, Turnip-san."

Which reminded him: Iwasaki Shino cared for nothing, apparently, and at this point in time, Kindaichi had given up on trying to correct her. He knew she was too smart to  _not_ remember his name, but it seemed that she wasn't bothered about it.

After he had finished the bottle of water, Kindaichi got up from the bench again, intent on rejoining his team in their practices.

"Goddammit, Kunimi!" Mizoguchi was barking at Kindaichi's best friend. "Move any slower and I'll be calling up animal protection services to demand why your mother has seemingly married and consummated with a  _sloth_! That was an easy receive—my six year old cousin could have gotten that!"

Irihata was absent today, and would be for a few days, having some other business to see to. He'd left Mizoguchi in charge, naturally, and the boys had exchanged grins when Irihata couldn't see. Mizoguchi had always been tough on Kunimi, but his toughness comically increased when Irihata wasn't around, and the younger coach was prone to making comments about Kunimi's genes that were not always appropriate. But Kunimi didn't mind, nor did the boys. And if at any point Kunimi  _did_ mind, it was more about the fact that he was getting too tired rather than being offended at Mizoguchi's insults, which were mostly given out in the heat of the late spring afternoon.

"Yo," Kindaichi said casually as he sidled up next to Kunimi.

"Yo yourself," Kunimi returned without even looking at the other boy, obviously bothered that he was being forced to move excessively.

Practice wrapped up an hour later, and Kindaichi and Kunimi followed Iwaizumi and the rest of the team outside, where they would chat for maybe five or ten minutes at the front gate before going their separate ways. Kindaichi halfheartedly noted that Oikawa hadn't joined them, which wasn't unusual. They all knew that Oikawa sometimes stayed behind to practice his spike-serves, and no one but Iwaizumi interfered with his extra practice. Iwaizumi was the one they all trusted—even the coaches—to call Oikawa out on his bullshittery and his hardheadedness.

Most of the time, Oikawa would be outside with them, teasing and bantering, but whenever something important—or even semi-important, really—came up, it was a known fact that he had about a ninety-five percent chance of staying back for another half hour or so. And it just so happened a volleyball team from another school would be coming over to their gym for a practice match next week.

"Ah~" Kindaichi tucked his arms behind his head as he headed home with Kunimi. "I'm starved—I can't wait to eat dinner."

"Yeah. Hey?"

"Hm?"

"Have you noticed that Iwasaki-san never walks or bikes home with us?"

Kindaichi blinked slowly. "Yeah... Yeah, I have, actually." Now he felt a little bad—he should have extended his friendship even further. Now the girl was probably feeling like she didn't belong with them. And, in a sense, she didn't. Not until she finally came out of her shell, and the two boys didn't know when that would ever happen. He forced himself to change the subject a little. "Hey, uh, do you remember what she said the other day? On her way to the roller rink?"

"About how she didn't feel anything with us?"

"She was just pulling our leg, right?"

Normally, Kunimi would be inclined to agree. But that simply didn't sit right with him. "I don't think so. And I don't think she was exaggerating either. That's not part of her character."

"True..." Kindaichi realized something. "Wait, what time does she go home then? Doesn't she know it's dangerous after dark?!"

"I think she does. And I'm sure she can take care of herself just fine."

"We should get her to head home with us tomorrow," Kindaichi pressed.

Kunimi was fine with that. "Yeah, okay."

* * *

A volleyball slammed into the ground, flying into the air and landing in Shino's arms. Her face was expressionless, as it normally was, as she watched Oikawa Tooru fly into the air and smack the volleyball with all his might. It was a repetitive cycle, and Shino wondered briefly if watching Oikawa serve over and over again could possibly lull someone to sleep.

 _We fall asleep more easily when we imagine a situation that we find interesting and engaging, but also pleasant and relaxing,_ she thought as she collected another ball from the back wall and dumped it into the basket.  _This type of guided imagery is the best way to soothe a racing mind._

Another ball, this one faster than all the others, sped toward her. Oikawa had missed the court completely and the ball he had served was now racing toward her  _on the full_.

Shino lifted an arm, letting the ball slam again her forearm and push her back against the back wall. That was going to bruise. But no matter—she'd been knocked over by a van (albeit at a slow speed) and survived, hadn't she?

"Shino-chan!" Suddenly, Oikawa was there, standing over her, eyes guilty. "Shino-chan, I'm so sorry! Where does it hurt?"

Sensing that he was beginning to fuss, she held up her uninjured arm to try and silence him. It was barely effective so she said, "I'm not hurt, Oikawa-san, I'll be fine. I shouldn't have been standing back here while you served, anyway. It was my fault."

"It wasn't!" he insisted. "I—" Oikawa cut himself off, taking a deep breath as he felt his knee ache. "I think we both need a break."

"Sure."

For the past few days, ever since she'd caught Oikawa practicing by himself and arguing with Iwaizumi, Shino had been accompanying him while Iwaizumi wasn't around. Shino had to admit, the two boys were good at hiding their annoyance with each other. Normally, Iwaizumi would be here to knock some sense into Oikawa, but he hadn't shown up. Both boys were still cooling off from their argument.

So Shino sat next to Oikawa as he drank from his canteen, fiddling with her Rubik's Cube. As she solved the puzzle for the sixth time that day, Oikawa asked, "Why do you do that?"

She looked up at him. His gaze was filled with genuine curiosity, and had Shino been born someone else, she might have fallen for him right there and then. After all, it was psychologically proven that one could fall in love with another within the span of four minutes.  _Did he look at my sister this way as well?_

"It helps me unwind," she answered. "Don't you have something that helps you relax, Oikawa-san?"

"Well, yes," he admitted. "I like watching alien movies. And climbing on the roof and looking up at the stars at night."

"There you go." Shino glanced downward at her cube again, muddling the color pattern once more. "The cube serves the same purpose as your stargazing."

"I... see." Oikawa chuckled. "Those things have always been hell for me."

Shino nodded, leaving the cube alone for now rather than solving it, placing it back in her book bag. They both sat in a comfortable silence before Shino inquired, "Why do you overwork yourself like this, Oikawa-san?"

He snorted. "Do I need a reason? Iwa-chan's already been bitching at me enough about this, I don't need you on my case too..." He buried his face his palms, rubbing his cheeks until they were sore.

"You're upset."

"No shit, Shino-chan. You've always been observant."

"Iwaizumi-san means a lot to you, doesn't he? Especially after..." Shino trailed off, gauging his response.

Oikawa stretched out his sore leg, eyes at half-mast. "Yeah. Shino-chan... I'm sorry."

"I already told you there was no need," she reminded him.

"No, not that," he hurriedly said, "I meant for snapping at you before."

"You're upset," she repeated. "It's only natural."

Oikawa stared at her, eyebrow raised. "You're a strange one, Shino-chan." He smiled. "But I think I like that about you. I'm not the only one either—I've seen the way Kindaichi looks at you."  _Even if he doesn't realize it yet._

"I don't understand."

"You will in the future," Oikawa said vaguely, and Shino was suddenly reminded of Sayori's words. Shino blinked at the wall across the court, face blank. Sensing some turmoil in the girl, he quickly added, "You're pretty, Shino-chan. If Kindaichi doesn't end up as your boyfriend, someone else will."

Shino didn't reply.

The silence stretched between them before she finally said, "How did you get her to fall in love with you?"

"E-eh?" Slightly uncomfortable, Oikawa crossed his legs on the bench. "Are you asking me how I pick up girls, Shino-chan...?"

"No, I'm asking how Sayori fell in love with you."

Oikawa closed his eyes, breathing out a small sigh. "It's kinda sappy and not really that interesting. She liked me. I liked her. She said I made her feel special." He smiled wryly, albeit a little sadly. "She was different too—my two girlfriends before her didn't exactly have the most benevolent personalities. Sayori-chan... she made me feel the same way as I made her feel. But then she—"

"She got too clingy, didn't she?"

Oikawa bowed his head. "Yeah. Yeah, she did. As our relationship progressed, she started... to demand more attention than I could give her, especially with all the commitments I had going on during my second year. Then she started to get angry; she had more violent outbursts than I could count and to this day, I still don't know why she became like that." He let out a shuddering breath, having spoken the last sentence in one breath.

"Borderline Personality Disorder."

His head snapped upward, eyes wide. "What?" That sounded an awful lot like a mental illness, and it probably was.

"It was something she was afflicted with, among other disorders. It wasn't so obvious at first, until I started reading up on her behavior during her transition to her second year of high school. But it was already too late by then." Shino was vaguely aware of her arm aching. The one that Oikawa had all but spiked a ball into.

"I..." Oikawa didn't know what to say, really, and Shino held no ill will towards that. She noticed tears forming at the corners of his eyes, but they never fell as he straightened. "I'm going to practice some more."

"You couldn't have known, you know," she called after him as he stood up and marched toward the service line with a ball gripped in one hand. "I can see that you're too hard on yourself, Oikawa-san. You enjoy pleasing others, but you can never seem to please yourself. Sayori is dead, Oikawa-san. Don't let my presence make you forget that fact. There is nothing to look forward to from here except what lies in the future."

Oikawa's shoulders tensed, and his face twisted in such a sorrowful way that he was glad Shino couldn't see it, even when he knew that she of all people would never judge him. "... Thank you for being here, Shino-chan."

"Then smile. Sayori used to say she liked seeing you smile. I'm sure everyone else would as well, especially Iwaizumi-san."

There was something liberating about that, especially as it was such a stark contrast to the hateful way Sayori would regard him with at times during their turbulent relationship.

Oikawa turned back, and this time he did cry. "For someone who claims to have no emotion, you're oddly empathetic."

"No," she said, her face never changing. "You're wrong."

"Am I really?"

"Everything I've said to you... was based on my own observations. Nothing more, nothing less." She stood from the bench. "My parents may be home by now. I should get going. Good night, Oikawa-san."

This time, it was his turn to call after her. "I don't believe that for a second, Shino-chan!" The door slammed behind her and Oikawa smiled to himself. Then he tossed the ball he was holding in the air and served it over the net with a renewed strength.  _I'm going to apologize to Iwa-chan tomorrow. Maybe I'll even let him take me cicada hunting._

* * *

_Dear Shino,_

_I'm sorry._

_They're all yours now. They always have been._

_Sincerely, Me_

* * *

Shino opened her eyes, expecting to see the white room again. She'd been dreaming about it an awful lot lately. Instead, she only saw the blackness that was her ceiling, and felt a small, warm body—Pochi—curled up against her side.

_Good._

* * *

Three days later, Oikawa bumped into a black-haired girl at the grocery store. She pointedly ignored him, her hair swishing across her back as she turned her back on him with a can of soup in her hand.

He would not know her name until June rolled around.

* * *

_**A/N: Next chapter: Exams (?)** _

_**Naoko made a cameo at the end, kekkek.** _


	6. For Cake's Sake

"Good morning class," Hashimoto-sensei (otherwise known as big-and-mean-sensei by Kurokawa Najimi as well as most of the class) said as he walked in, a very strained smile on his face.

Instantly, everybody straightened with varying looks of shock and terror on their face. Hashimoto never  _ever_ greeted them with something as boring as "good morning". Not unless...

Hashimoto, still smiling that strange little smile, held up their graded practice math exam papers. And despite themselves, everybody groaned, Kindaichi even going as far as to smack his forehead onto the desk.

 _Shit_ , he thought listlessly.  _I totally forgot about the pop quiz we had the other day._ He cast Kunimi a hapless glance, which the other boy ignored. Kunimi's eyes were following Hashimoto as he moved around the room, passing their papers back. He was still smiling. Kindaichi suspected that he had gotten botox, and he wasn't the only one.

"Fifty percent," Hashimoto suddenly said, and alarm bells instantly went off in the students' minds. The math teacher's voice was dangerously calm. "That was the class average..." Then his smile fell. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL DOING WITH YOUR LIVES?!"

Kindaichi winced, fingering the corner of the paper of his exam. It was face down, as was the case with most of the other papers.

"I'VE TOLD YOU ALL TIME AND TIME AGAIN THAT WE HAVE TUTORS AVAILABLE AFTER SCHOOL! BUT DO YOU USE THEM?! NO! NO, YOU DON'T!" Hashimoto slammed one meaty hand on the table of a student in the front desk. The student's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he promptly fainted.

"DO YOU PEOPLE EVEN REVIEW THE CONTENT I TEACH?! YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT SOME OF YOU JUST COPY HOMEWORK FROM YOUR FRIENDS?!" By now, everybody except Shino was shaking, even Kunimi, who was trying his best to hide it. "AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, I WON'T BE CURVING THE TEST, NOR WILL I GIVE OUT EXTRA CREDIT! You've all been spoiled long enough..." Hashimoto exhaled to catch his breath, his face completely red. Then his eyes glinted meanly. "You're all so lucky that this was merely a quiz. Those of you that get below eighty percent in the exams I'll set for you first day next week, I will make sure that you're  _taken off the roster for your clubs until midterms come around in June_!"

"WHAAAATT?!"

"QUIET!" roared Hashimoto, scaring the student in the front row back into unconsciousness. "ALL OF YOU WILL USE THIS TIME TO REVIEW YOUR OWN PAPERS WHILE I PREPARE TODAY'S LESSON!"

Some sniffles could be heard at the unfairness of it all, and Kindaichi sighed to himself.  _What did I get anyway? The quiz wasn't_ that  _hard if I remember correctly. I should have gotten at least an eighty._ The small smile that had grown on his face twitched as he turned his paper around.

"What did you get?" Kunimi asked, leaning across the space between their desks. "Kindaichi?" Kunimi's eyes moved up to Kindaichi's face and he was shocked to see a comical tear rolling down Kindaichi's face. "That bad, huh?"

Arm shaking erratically, Kindaichi held up his paper for Kunimi to see, his face hidden in his other hand.

There was a large  _62%_ circled in red marker on the top of his exam, close to where he had written his name.

Kunimi nodded, understanding Kindaichi's behavior. "I see."

"What did you get?" Kindaichi bemoaned, folding his test in half.  _Knowing Kunimi, he probably got a ninety..._

Kunimi flipped his paper around for Kindaichi to feast his eyes on.

"Eh?" Kunimi's score was only a little higher than his, just shy of seventy percent. "How can you be so cool about that mark?!" he whisper-shouted, eyes wide in disbelief. "Didn't you hear sensei? If we don't improve in the next test, he'll ban us from volleyball!"

"I lost most of my marks because I didn't bother writing down all my working out," Kunimi explained with a shrug. "Otherwise I would have gotten at least an eighty five. There was so much working out... it was too troublesome and not enough time. What about you, Iwasaki-san?"

Shino, who had remained quiet behind them the whole time, wordlessly showed them her results.

A goddamn  _87%_.

"I wasn't able to complete the final three questions," she said before placing her paper face down on her desk again.

"Of course  _you're_  not bothered," Kindaichi grumbled, his folded test crumpling in his hands a bit. "You got a high mark, after all. Judging from the average, probably the highest as well."

"She could have gotten a big fat zero and she wouldn't have cared," Kunimi felt the need to point out.

Before the lesson officially began, someone raised their hand and asked, "Hashimoto-sensei, what was the highest mark in the class?"

"It certainly wasn't yours," Hashimoto answered dryly, obviously still prickly about the class's low average.

The student flushed. "S-sorry..."

But Hashimoto proceeded to answer anyway. "Highest mark was eighty seven, belonging to Iwasaki Shino-san. Feh! I can't believe a student who spends most of her time  _sleeping_ in class managed to beat the rest of you!"

Some students bowed their heads in shame.

Class was over some forty-five minutes later, and it was time for a ten minute break before their next class began. Instantly, everybody began to swarm around Shino, who had laid her head on the desk.

They all began to clamor, much to Kindaichi's annoyance, and everything they said all summed up to: "How can we get a high as mark as you?"

"Everyone," Kindaichi said sharply when a boy's rear end got far too close to his crotch for comfort (he was sitting on the side edge of his chair). "Leave Iwasaki-san alone. She isn't going to answer—"

"There are after school tutors, aren't there?" Shino said, lifting her head and effectively cutting off Kindaichi, who scowled, feeling more than a little foolish. "Hashimoto-sensei said so himself."

"Well, yeah..." Najimi rubbed the back of her head. "I tried going to one but they didn't teach me anything! Geehh, they're all so boring as well. I bet you could teach me better, Iwasaki-chan. Didn't I tell you that I fell in love with your marvelous brain?"

"Please teach me, Iwasaki-chan!"

"Please? I don't want to look bad in front of my boyfriend!"

"I'll make you a cake!"

"Cake?" Suddenly, Shino straightened, her eyes a little wider and more alert than usual. "Who said that?"

Kindaichi turned to Kunimi in disbelief. "She cannot possibly be serious."  _Is she really selling her soul to these people for some fucking cake?!_ "Kunimi, do something!"

But Kunimi wasn't going to budge. "Why should I? It's not my problem. I'll just make sure to write more working out next time."

The crowd parted and a short girl with brown hair stepped forward nervously, a small blush on her cheeks. "Me. I said it. I'm Suzuki Ami. My dream is to become a baker, you see, and I think a cake is the least you deserve if you can help me pass! I don't want to miss out on valuable cooking time; I'm in the cooking club. If you teach the whole class, I'll make sure to make it extra large!"

"Hmm..."

Kindaichi's jaw dropped even further. "I-Iwasaki-san! Think about what you're doing for a second!"

"I am."

"I'm serious! The  _whole_ class? If Hashimoto-sensei couldn't teach us, what makes you think that you can?"

"For one, she doesn't yell," Najimi supplied helpfully. "Or make teenagers piss themselves."

Kunimi couldn't hide a smile when Kindaichi slammed his head on the table for the second time that morning.

Finally, Shino agreed. "Come to this classroom after school if you want tutoring from me. Suzuki-san, please bring the cake at the end of the week."

"Sure! Thank you so much. Any particular flavor you want?"

"Chocolate will do."

"No problem! Glad to be of service." Ami lifted her arm in a piece sign across her left eye and struck a cute pose.

 _This girl!_ Kindaichi bemoaned in his head.  _Is so exasperating! I can't believe she just made a snap decision to tutor the whole damn class over some cake._ He said as much, more calmly this time, and Shino's answer was just as aggravating as her decision.

"I like cake, Kindaichi-san. That's why I agreed." Shino turned to Kunimi. "Kunimi-san—would you mind helping me tutor? I can't do it by myself, and I'm fairly certain that you would have scored one hundred percent had you put in more effort to your working out." She scratched at her forehead at a place where he bangs covered. Kunimi noticed that she tended to do that a lot.

Before Kunimi could say anything, Kindaichi interrupted, "What about volleyball practice?"

The class collectively groaned. How could they have forgotten that Shino was the new manager? Pretty much everybody in the school knew thanks to a jealous red-haired third year known as Anzu.

"I'm sure Oikawa-san won't mind," Shino said calmly. "We've reached an understanding in the past couple of days."

Kindaichi's jaw twitched. "I see. So you're going to neglect your manager duties for... tutoring?"

"Oi, don't try to convince her to change her mind!" Najimi exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips, her short dark brown hair swaying slightly. "Do you want everyone to fail? It's not just about the volleyball club, you know—nearly everybody else in this room is going to have issues if we flunk our next exam!" There were calls and sounds of agreement, and Najimi smiled triumphantly.

"How troublesome..." Kunimi muttered, rubbing his temples.  _Still... tutoring these idiots would be better than running around after a ball._ He simply didn't feel in the mood to be yelled at by Mizoguchi. "Alright, Iwasaki-san, I'll help."

Shino nodded. "Thank you, Kunimi-san."

"Hey, thanks, Mechanophiliac!" Najimi grinned, her canines sharp.

Kunimi did a double take. "I'm sorry, but  _what_ did you just call me?"

"Mechanophiliac, duh. That fact you gave me at the door last week was indication enough."

"... You've taken something so incredibly trivial and blown it completely out of proportion. Congratulations, you're officially an idiot in my eyes, Kurokawa-san."

"OI! WHY, I'D OUGHTA—"

Ami had to hold her back from throttling the lazy Kunimi.

* * *

By coincidence, Shino ran into Oikawa in the hall during lunchtime. "Oh, Oikawa-san, I just thought I should let you know that Kunimi-san, Kindaichi-san, and I will not be coming to training this afternoon because we have to tutor our class for some delectable chocolate cake."

"Oh, okay."

The two continued on their separate ways before Oikawa did a double take. "Wait, what?!"

* * *

"Hey, wipe that pissy look off your face," drawled Kunimi, smacking a rolled up newspaper over Kindaichi's head. "You didn't have to come here, you know. You're smart enough to get eighty percent on your own."

"Oh, shut up," grumbled Kindaichi.

"... You only came because you felt like you'd be too alone without me if you went to practice. Am I right or am I right?"

Kindaichi blushed, closing his eyes. "... The latter."

"Thought so."

The sky was still shining brightly outside as Shino and Kunimi spoke in hushed voices at the front of the room, flipping through papers and textbooks and whatnot. Only a few of the students had showed up, but it was still early days.

"Hey, everyone!" Najimi entered with her bag slung on one shoulder. "You guys ready to learn?"

"Please don't say that!" someone in the back groaned. "Like I haven't had enough of math already!"

Five minutes later, about half the class showed up. Shino stepped forward, hands by her sides. "We're a college prep class. The only reason why we're not scoring better marks is because our teacher doesn't go into enough depth into the content. That, combined with a bit of laziness and fear for him has led us to our downfall."

"Well, that's one way of putting things," Kindaichi muttered.

"What we'll be doing today is reviewing everything that we need to know for the next exam, which will be everything that we have learned last week and everything that we will learn this week. Kunimi-san and I will be taking two days to go through what we have already covered in class, except we will provide more insight than Hashimoto-sensei ever did. The next three days will be dedicated to revision and a summary of outcomes from last week, as well as a brush over for this week's learning. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sensei!" a few people said jokingly.

"Good. Then we can begin. Please feel free to discuss amongst yourselves and help each other," Kunimi added. "It'll make our job a lot more easier. Oh, and Kurokawa-san? Maybe you can redeem yourself if you behave."

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't talk to me like that, Mecha-Maniac."

"... I see how it's going to be." Kunimi scowled back at her.

Pretty soon, after Kunimi and Shino explained things on the board, people were off doing their own thing and helping each other in small groups, taking Kunimi's advice to heart. The fact that this class was a college prep one made things a whole lot easier for the two impromptu teachers—everybody took their studies seriously, even loud students like Najimi and students who had a less academic career path in mind, like Suzuki Ami.

Out of the corner of her eye, Shino noticed Najimi and Ami huddled together, both with frowns on their faces. Ami was holding the end of her pencil to her lip in concentration.  _Do they need help?_ She moved over to them, pulled out a nearby chair, and sat down. "What are you stuck on?"

Ami jumped. "Oh—Iwasaki-chan! How did you know we needed help?"

"I read your facial expressions."

Najimi blinked. "Wow, okay. Anyway, it's this little bastard over here. Question number fourteen."

"Oh, I see..." Shino was about to explain it to them before she noticed Kindaichi reading the textbook by himself, an annoyed look on his face. Kunimi had been sitting with him earlier, but the lazy male had gone off to help another study group. "Actually, I think Kindaichi-san can help you with this." Upon hearing his name, Kindaichi's head snapped upward and he glanced over to where the three girls were sitting. Hesitantly, he got up and sat down, scooting his chair as close to their table as possible.

"What's up?" he inquired awkwardly.

"Suzuki-chan and Kurokawa-chan need some help on question fourteen. You didn't really seem like you were doing anything by yourself, so why don't you come and study with us?" Shino invited.

Kindaichi flushed. "I was reading the textbook."

"No you weren't. You hadn't turned a page in five minutes and your eyes were faraway."

Kindaichi silently stared at her. She met his gaze evenly.  _What the hell?! How did she_ — _?_  He shook his head. "Fine, you got me. Now what's this about question fourteen?"

As they immersed themselves into the question, Kindaichi taking the reigns, the boy visibly relaxed and became less awkward.

"... And that's how you do it."

"Oh, I get it! So you have to take all three cases on the number line, not just two, am I correct?" said Najimi, her brow furrowed in concentration as she wrote down notes in her book.

"This is significantly different from piece-wise functions," muttered Ami. "Goodness, how I hate graphing..."

"Absolute value identities and piecewise identities look kinda similar but you have to do different things to it," Kindaichi said before pointing at Ami's graph for question thirteen, which happened to be the dreaded piecewise functions. "You're supposed to have an open circle there, not a closed circle."

"Whoops!" Ami took out her eraser, which was in a cute cupcake design. "Thanks, Kindaichi-san!"

"It was no big deal..." He flicked his gaze over to Shino, who was looking at all of them with something akin to approval in her eyes.  _I guess she isn't that bad. Even if she's making us miss practice for tutoring sessions..._

Ten minutes later, none of them, not even Kindaichi, could figure out question fifteen.

"It's too hard!" whined Najimi. "Iwasaki-chan, please help?"

"You drew your parabola upside down," Shino said without even glancing at the paper.

"You serious?" deadpanned Kindaichi before realizing that she was right.

"EH?! Oh my gosh, you're right! How did we not see that?! And how did  _you_ see that?!" Najimi stared at Shino, eyes wide.

"I've been monitoring your progress this whole time."

"Argghh..." Najimi took the eraser from Ami and rubbed out her graph. "Man, I'm too dumb for this class..."

"Ten minute break!" Kunimi suddenly announced. "Get your asses back into lazy mode." There were a few cheers and people took food out of their bags and began to eat happily.

"Well, he sure is popular," Najimi murmured, not looking up from her paper.

 _It's true,_ thought Shino.  _Despite his laziness, Kunimi has a sort of charisma around him. He knows how to cater to the people's desires as well as their needs. It's not something you come across every day._

"Ah!" Ami got out of her seat. "I just remembered that I left something in the cooking club room. Mind coming with me to get it, Kurokawa-chan?"

Najimi shrugged. "Sure thing. Not like I got anything better to do."

The two girls left, leaving Shino and Kindaichi alone. When Shino didn't say anything, Kindaichi grabbed his textbook from his desk, which was within his reach, and began to read it. How quaint. Then he sighed and snapped it shut. "Iwasaki-san."

"Hm?" Kindaichi didn't know when or how but Shino had gotten out her Rubik's Cube and was now halfway through solving it. "Is something the matter, Turnip-san?"

And it was back to turnip when nobody else was around to hear. Kindaichi couldn't help but snort.

"I was just going to say thanks. If you hadn't called me over, I wouldn't have learned anything, especially since Kunimi is so busy teaching that group at the back." Kunimi was taking his precious time explaining one last question to that particular group.

"That's fine, Turnip-san." She continued to fiddle with her puzzle. "It wasn't a problem. As a teacher, I suppose I should be making an effort to make sure that everybody is getting involved. Otherwise, it would just be a waste of time." She glanced upward from her Rubik's Cube, which was now back to its original state. "Not to mention that Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san wouldn't be pleased if you were to be banned from club activities."

"Hah, tell me about it. Oikawa-senpai's pretty easygoing as it is, but even he wouldn't stand for that to happen." Kindaichi leaned back in his chair, feeling that the air between them was no longer so stuffy now that they had drawn each other into conversation. "AH! Before I forget, I noticed that you never come home with us. We all go the same direction and live in the same neighborhood, so you should walk with us from now on. It can be dangerous for you walk at home at night by yourself."

Shino nodded. "Okay. I normally go home earlier but I was keeping Oikawa-san company through the evening. Everything's sorted now, however."

"Oikawa-senpai?" Kindaichi blinked.  _What exactly is her relationship with Oikawa-senpai...?_ "Iwasaki-san... you're not  _dating_ him, are you?"

"No."

Right. Now he felt like a fool for asking. "N-never mind. Forget I asked. I was just curious."

Shino tilted her head to one side. "You're babbling. Are you nervous, Turnip-san?"

He glared at her. "No, I'm not."  _Now she's back at it again with her bluntness._ Kindaichi sighed.  _I shouldn't have expected anything else from her. It's just the way she is._

It was at that moment that Kunimi arrived and plopped down in Najimi's empty seat. "God, I had to explain that question to them at least five times. I'm so sick of math."

Kindaichi patted his shoulder sympathetically. "By the way, you should probably get up from that chair. It's Kurokawa-san's."

"She can go to hell for all I care," Kunimi said flatly. "I'm resting my ass and I don't particularly feel like moving."

"Your funeral."

"They're coming," Shino observed, seeing Ami's pale arm coming through the door. With a speed that Kindaichi had never witnessed before, Kunimi had pulled out another chair and placed it between Kindaichi's and Najimi's seat before promptly sitting his ass down on it. Just in time too, as Najimi and Ami entered the room, talking to each other.

Kindaichi shot Kunimi a smug look and got a frosty stare in return. "I didn't want to be nagged," the latter said defensively.

"Right..."

* * *

_**A/N: This study class thing will continue, this time with the third years joining in~! Because, I love them, so, kek.** _


	7. Sit

Shino stared flatly at the vending machine which had gobbled up her spare change in exchange for nothing. The milk that was supposed to have been shuffled out of the mechanical box was stuck—the chocolate milk carton was stuck half-hanging off the edge of its place.

It was but a mild annoyance for Shino, and she hammered her fist on the vending machine in vain. Then she paced back and forth once before trying again.

The classes she and Kunimi were running (as of today) had been dismissed ten minutes ago. Kindaichi and Kunimi were waiting at the gate for her to join them on their journey home.

"How irritating," she murmured, banging her fist on the glass one last time.

"Hm? Iwasaki-san—hey." Shino shifted her eyes to the left to see Iwaizumi, his skin slick with perspiration. "Do you need help with that?"

"Ah, if you could." Shino stepped back, allowing Iwaizumi to give the machine a once over. Then he slammed his fist in a certain position, and the milk carton came undone, falling into the collection box.

Wordlessly, Shino picked it up, turning it around in her hands a few times.

"The machine can be a real pain in the ass sometimes," Iwaizumi said, giving her a crooked smile. "You won't believe the amount of times Oikawa has come crying to me because it ate his pocket money. Like the bastard doesn't already have enough..."

Shino popped the carton open, taking a sip. "Thank you for the help, Iwaizumi-san. Is there anything I can do in return?"

"Eh? No, don't worry about it, Iwasaki-san—you don't need to repay me for just that."

"So there's nothing? Nothing at all?" Her blue gaze met his charcoal one. For a moment, they simply stared.

Then Shino's phone buzzed. A text from her LINE group consisting of her and Kunimi and Kindaichi. It was Kunimi who'd sent the simple message of "Hurry up".

She typed back a reply with one hand, her fingers nimble.  _Go without me. I'll be fine._

Kindaichi replied this time, refusing.

"Iwaizumi-san, whatever it is you need, tell me now," Shino said tonelessly, looking up at him again.

Iwaizumi sighed. "It's nothing big, really, but I guess there  _is_  something you can do for me."

"Right. Will you walk me home afterward? I have a feeling that I'll be hearing nothing but lectures if Kindaichi finds out that I went home myself."

"No problem. But don't you take a bike?"

"I can roll it along. I can afford to take my time."

"If you're sure. I'll go get my things and then we can head off. Practice is just about over anyway. Wait for me at the gate?"

So while waiting for Iwaizumi, Shino found herself in the company of one indifferent boy and one irate boy.

"I can't believe you're bailing on us again," Kindaichi said accusingly, narrowing his eyes. "Look, if you don't want to walk home with us, you can just say so—"

"Why are you so annoyed?" Shino wondered, her eyebrows lifting ever so slightly. She was genuinely confused—anyone with a working pair of eyes could see as much. "It was only today that you asked me to join you."

"She's got a point," Kunimi agreed as he shuffled through his playlist on his phone, his eyelids hooded, exhausted from having to teach nearly a whole class of first year students. "Kindaichi, just drop it, why don't you? She's not trying to offend you."  _You just tend to take things the wrong way sometimes._ It was a quality that had reared its ugly head plenty of times throughout their friendship. It was this particular side of Kindaichi (combined with Kunimi's irritated disposition and Kageyama's attitude) that had led to the downfall of the Kindaichi-Kunimi-Kageyama trio during their middle school days.

Kindaichi's scowl deepened. "Why are you on her side?"  _I'm trying to reach out to her and all she's doing is shitting around. Should have known_ — _she doesn't care about anyone. She's just like Kageyama_ —

"Because you're being an idiot," Kunimi drawled. "I know what you're thinking, Kindaichi, and I don't agree..." He shrugged. "She's different. She's not another Kageyama—you know that as well."

Kindaichi took a deep breath.  _Hrr... he's right. He's doing that weird therapy thing again._ "Fine," he bit out, lowering his gaze. "Sorry, Iwasaki-san. For being pissy with everything today."

"I don't mind," Shino said, her voice genuine. She straightened when she saw Iwaizumi coming toward them. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

As Shino left with Iwaizumi, Kindaichi and Kunimi went the opposite direction.

"Well?" Kunimi said when they were out of earshot. "That stick up your ass inflated exponentially today."

"You're implying that I have a perpetual stick up my ass," Kindaichi muttered, frowning and shoving his hands in his pocket. "Which  _isn't_  the case."

"Uh huh."

"I'm serious!" Kindaichi frowned at his best friend. "Look, Kunimi, you know that I don't offer my friendship to just  _anyone_. Especially after that disaster with Kageyama. It'd be nice to know that I'm making some progress instead of just wasting my time on a hopeless case."

 _He totally has a stick up his ass. Period._ Kunimi knew it wasn't wise to voice his current thoughts, so he simply nodded. He fiddled with his phone as well, something that didn't escape Kindaichi.

"You're not turning up the volume, are you?"

"On the contrary—I'm lowering it. But back to Iwasaki. Why do you want to be her friend that badly? Don't tell me you like her or something."

"What—I—! No!" Kindaichi spluttered, glaring at Kunimi. "It's just that..."

"Just what?" Kunimi prompted.

"She's so  _weird_. Different. It's kind of refreshing, actually."

"Are you referring to the fact that she's emotionally retarded?"

"She isn't!" That came out far more vehemently than Kindaichi realized. He paused. "Well, okay, maybe she is. But she's a person too. Everybody has emotions, Kunimi. She just isn't that great at expressing them. She acts kinda cold, but I know she doesn't mean to be. She doesn't  _understand_ but at the same time she  _does_ and it's a bit hard to watch sometimes."

"Sure..." Kunimi blinked slowly at him.  _He's babbling._ "From what I've seen, she picks up social cues pretty well by the power of observation alone. However, she can't seem to  _empathize_  with others. Is that what you're trying to say?"

"Yes! Yes, thank you. That's exactly what I'm trying to say. Kinda like you, but you're more... warm."

"Mm."

"Hey, don't try to deny it, you are. I mean, sure, you can be a real bastard sometimes, but at least you make some sort of effort to put yourself in another person's shoes."  _Unlike Kageyama... I hate people like that. Cold. Harsh. Unforgiving._ "I don't want Iwasaki to just be another Kageyama. But right now, she doesn't look so promising..."

"Then why are you bothering with her?"

"Because it doesn't have to be that way. If we can just take her by the hand and show her... show her..." Kindaichi struggled for the words. "Show her how to behave? Ugh, that just makes her sound like some sort of animal..."

"I think," Kunimi said calmly, "Your phrasing sucks."

"Ah, shut up!" Kindaichi huffed. "Anyway, point is, I want to be friends with her. I don't want her to end up being like Kageyama. But if she's going to be alone all her life... who knows where she'll end up?"

Kunimi snorted lightly. "You've always been a fixer. Attaching yourself to people who you think you can help. It was why you became friends with Kageyama in the first place—because he was so shy and introverted that you felt like you just  _had_ to offer him company. Too bad he turned out to be an asshole."

"Yeah..." Kindaichi glanced skyward. "Was that my fault...? Because sometimes I think it is."

"It isn't," Kunimi said sharply. "No one could have stopped him from turning out like that, least of all you. You stopped kicking yourself over this a long time ago so don't start now."

"Alright, alright...!"

* * *

"Downtown, huh?" Shino glanced around her surroundings, noting the large train station tower that loomed over every other building in town. There'd been quite a huge commotion a few years ago on the railway lines—a train wreck on Christmas Eve nearly five years ago that killed over two hundred people. She hardly ever went downtown—never had a reason to.

"Yeah, sorry if it's a bit far," Iwaizumi said apologetically.

"It's fine. I offered. But where are you taking me, Iwaizumi-san?"

"Nowhere sketchy if that's what you're worried about," he said halfheartedly. "Just a small cafe that some friends of the family own."

"Ah, I see. I'm rather fond of small cafes. They have this certain charm about them."

"Agreed," Iwaizumi said, grinning. "It's nice to get away from all the noise the team makes once in a while."

Soon, they arrived... at a floristry. Shino shot Iwaizumi a questioning look. "Wasn't it supposed to be a cafe?"

"Its a floral cafe," Iwaizumi explained, sounding a tad sheepish. "I help out around here sometimes, and the owner asked me to bring someone because she had coupons that were on the verge of expiring that she wanted to use." He sighed, and Shino could hear the exasperation in the huff. Somehow, Shino thought, Iwaizumi would never be able to  _truly_ escape from the irritating aspects of life. Iwaizumi pushed the door open, and the overhead bell tinkered.

"Hi, welcome to Yamazaki Flowers and Floral Cafe—oh, Hajime! You didn't tell me you were coming by today!" A very,  _very_ ample-breasted middle-aged woman was manning the counter, and she perked up immediately at the sight of the third year boy.

"Yo, ba-chan," Iwaizumi greeted, lifting a hand up. "I brought someone for you to squander your coupons on."

"Eh?! Really?! Is it the cute girl behind you?"

Iwaizumi let out another long-suffering sigh. " _Yes_ , Junko-ba."

"Sit, sit, sit!" Yamazaki Junko all but pushed them both over to a table for two in an area sectioned off from the rest of the shop, which was heavily decorated with all kinds of plants and flowers.

"Sorry, about her," Iwaizumi felt the need to say to Shino, who was looking a little perplexed. "She can be pretty excitable sometimes. And ignore her when she starts shamelessly flirting with anyone above twenty and below thirty five." He paused. "Oikawa is an exception to that criteria."

"She's..." Shino stared at the woman's breasts as she quickly rearranged her blouse and gathered menus from a separate counter. "Well-endowed." Then she glanced down at her own underdeveloped body, cocking her head to one side in what could only be described as a curious manner.

Iwaizumi choked, his face reddening. "Iwasaki-san...! You can't just go around saying things like that!" To his horror, Shino patted her own, small breasts experimentally. "Iwasaki-san?!"

"Perhaps they'll be like that someday," Shino murmured, mostly to herself.

"Oi!" Iwaizumi grimaced. "Could you... not?"

"Sorry." Shino closed her eyes. "The human body can be fascinating at times."

"Alright, I get it. Can we  _please_ change the subject?"

Shino shrugged. "If you like. What would you like to discuss?"

Before Iwaizumi could answer, Junko came by and handed each of them menus. "Here, you are!" she said, grinning. "And here are your coupons!" She fished a bunch of small papers out from the pocket of her apron. "Order anything you want, kids, the coupons and a few yen should cover everything you need and more. Say, Hajime, when's that cute friend of yours coming over again?" Her full lips pursed in a pout.

"Eh? Oikawa?" Iwaizumi was visibly uncomfortable. "... Not sure."

"Aw! Can't you ask? Tell him that Junko's been looking for him."

"... Will do, Junko-ba."

"Great! Now can I take your order?"

Nothing on the menu really appealed to Shino, except for one thing. "Just a chocolate milkshake, please."

"I'll have the same," Iwaizumi said, passing the menu back to Junko.

"Oho~! Whatever the lady wants, eh, Hajime?" Junko gave the poor boy a flirty wink. "Should I just make it one and two straws? I have the loopy heart-shaped ones in stock and I've been  _dying_ to use them!"

"Junko-ba, it  _really_ isn't like that," Iwaizumi stressed.  _No one on the team wanted to come because of how... eccentric you can be. Except maybe Oikawa, but I didn't tell him._

"Pfft, you're no fun..." Her wicked mouth set in a pout again, she collected Shino's menu before heading off to make the milkshakes.

"So..." Iwaizumi said awkwardly, trailing off. "You like chocolate?"

"Yes."

"... Any reason why?"

"It tastes good." Shino paused. "Everybody in my family likes chocolate. Except maybe Pochi and Keiji." At Iwaizumi's confused look, she added, "My dog and a cat that keeps showing up from time to time."

"Ah, right. I don't mind chocolate, but I prefer it dark. My younger brother likes it really sweet, while my parents avoid it altogether." Iwaizumi relaxed a bit, leaning back in his chair. "Why didn't you and the boys come to practice this afternoon? Oikawa muttered something about tutoring but he didn't really give any details."

"Oh. Our class' math teacher threatening to ban everyone from club activities if we didn't score above eighty on our next class test." Shino tapped her fingers on the round metal table between them. "Kunimi and I are coaching them after school and will be for the rest of the this week."

"Huh." Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow. "So that explains it... we're supposed to be going over some plays and Kindaichi and Kunimi are integral to most, if not all, of them. This is going to be a problem."

"I thought as much," Shino replied, "But wouldn't it be more of a problem if Kindaichi and Kunimi are banned from practice until midterms come around? That's in June... I'm sure you and Oikawa will find a way to get by without us."

"Sure hope so."

Five minutes later, Junko returned with their chocolate milkshakes, a heart-shaped straw in each shake. Iwaizumi merely gave it a distasteful look before deciding to just roll with it. Shino hardly spared the straw a glance, sipping her drink as soon as Junko set it down in front of her.

"Hey, Iwasaki-san?"

Shino's eyes moved up.

"Thanks. For coming with me, that is. And the other day too, for talking to Oikawa about... our spat. He's not usually so... moody."

"It's because I remind him of her. Sayori."

"Ah... yeah, I was expecting that." Iwaizumi suddenly seemed very interested in the metal table's intricate design. "When she died... it killed a part of him. Especially since he felt responsible for it." He shook his head, guilt shadowing his eyes. "Sorry. I shouldn't be saying these kinds of things to you—you probably knew her better than any of us."

 _You're wrong._ Shino held her tongue, stirring her milkshake. "Perhaps."  _I didn't even know her. Not really, anyway. If I did, I would have actually done something to stop her._ "Don't feel guilty for something that you could have never prevented, Iwaizumi-san. No one saw it coming."  _No one except for me. And I did nothing._

Iwaizumi made a noncommittal noise, finishing the rest of his milkshake. "Again, thanks for coming out with me."

"It's no problem."

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, the third years joining the first years in studying will likely happen next chapter. I promise. Oops. I have so many goddamn plans with this fic that I'm not even bothered about word count. Normally, I like my fics to be at least 100k words, but this will very likely be under that. I just have a bunch of ideas that I need to implement otherwise I'll get too restless.** _

_**Since this follows the Kindergarten Bully timeline, everything has GOT to take place from April-June, specifically before June 14th (Sumire's birthday and the day that Naoko and Tadashi arrive at Aobajosai) otherwise it won't follow 'canon'.** _


	8. Melonpan

_"Idiot teenagers," Kido muttered as he flipped through his newspaper. "Think jumping off roofs today is fun? Think again... Idiots, the lot of them."_

_Shino sat opposite her father at their small dining table, carefully spooning cereal into her mouth. Most of the milk in the bowl was already gone despite the fact that there was still plenty of soppy cereal inside_ — _Shino always did have a preference for draining the milk first before consuming her cereal._

_"What's gotten tou-san angry?" Shino asked her mother when Kido went to the bathroom, her blue gaze following her father's retreating back before turning to her mother._

_"Ah," Miho said hesitantly, folding the newspaper Kido had left behind before opening it up to look at what she had already read. "According to the local news, someone in our neighborhood committed suicide on the weekend. A teenager."_

_"Oh."_

_"Suicide is_ — _"_

_"I know what suicide is."_

_Miho frowned. "How? Who taught you?"_

_"I read it somewhere." Sometimes, it escaped her parents that Shino was no longer so young_ — _she was entering middle school this year in April, the same school that Sayori was currently attending._

_Miho was obviously displeased at the knowledge that her daughter was displaying. "I... see. Well, it's a terrible deed. Promise me that you'll never do such a thing."_

_"I promise," Shino said indifferently, blinking up at her mother. Miho had the same blue eyes that she did, only that the shade seemed much duller._

_"Good." Miho returned to cutting up vegetables for tonight's soup. Neither of them noticed Sayori lingering at the door frame._

* * *

It was Pochi who woke Shino again in the morning, lapping at her face until her eyes fluttered open groggily. She reached one arm out toward the dog, catching his soft fur between her fingers. "Morning, Pochi."

Pochi barked, tongue hanging out as he thumped his tail on the mattress.

Downstairs, the cat, Keiji, was sitting on the windowsill of the kitchen, his tail waving back and forth expectantly. His ears flicked when he saw Shino enter the kitchen, Pochi at her heels.

"Good morning, Keiji," Shino greeted as she removed the wrapped plate of food her mother had prepared for her from the oven. "We ran out of milk today." While many other houses in the neighborhood relied on the milkman to provide them milk by dropping bottles of the stuff in their milk delivery boxes, Shino's home was a little more modern and came without such a feature. If she wanted such a luxury, she would have to drop by at the nearest convenience store.

Keiji mewed, jumping off the windowsill and onto the sink, which was still wet with droplets of water. Miho hadn't bothered wiping it down, apparently. Shino held out her arms and Keiji settled in the crook of her elbow, purring contently. She crouched down and let Keiji escape to the tiled floor, where he peered up at her with large green eyes.

"Don't make a mess," she said before getting cutlery out of the drawer to eat her food. "My parents still don't know about you, Keiji."

Pochi woofed, and Keiji batted his nose, his claws retracted.

Looking up at the clock, she found that volleyball practice would begin in fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. Enough time to eat breakfast and get the hell out of the house. She had just finished her orange juice and was heading down to the garage when she heard voices coming from outside.

"Is this the place?"

"I'm sure."

"Are you  _absolutely_ sure?"

"For the last time,  _yes_. Just be patient."

 _Kunimi-san and Turnip-san_ , Shino realized as the garage door rolled upward and she wheeled her bike out. Before the garage door could fully open, she put her bike away again and stepped outside, pressing the button on the inside for the door to roll down.

"There she is!" Kindaichi was pointing in her general direction as she made her way down her front yard and to the gate separating the aforementioned yard from the sidewalk and the road.

"Morning," Kunimi greeted.

"Good morning," she returned, dipping her head to them ever so slightly. Before the garage door could completely close, there was a bark and Pochi squeezed through between the gap of the door and the floor, racing up to them.

Pochi pawed and scrabbled at Shino's calves, tail wagging.

"You can't come with me," Shino told the dog, picking him up and staring him straight in the eye before turning to Kindaichi and Kunimi. "Excuse me, I'll be right back..."

As Shino returned to her house, a black cat with brilliant green eyes stalked right up to the bemused boys, meowing.

"Oh!" Kindaichi squatted down to stroke the cat, a wide grin on his face. "Hey, Kunimi, look at it! So cute, heh~"

"Oh boy," Kunimi muttered. "Here we go again. It's probably someone's, you know."

"Oi, shut up and just let me enjoy this. Jerk."

"Pussy."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"You weren't so interested in Iwasaki's dog before," Kunimi remarked, crouching down to stroke the cat as well. "You always did prefer quieter animals..."

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for the quiet ones."

 _Yes,_ Kunimi agreed silently.  _That's why you became friends with me during grade school. And Kageyama in middle school. And now Iwasaki in high school..._

A gentle footfall reached their ears and both boys glanced heavenward to see Shino standing over them. "I see you've found Keiji." The cat mewed again and wriggled out of Kindaichi's calloused hands, rubbing his furry face against Shino's ankle.

"More like Keiji found us," said Kindaichi, standing up. "Is he yours?"

"No," Shino answered as she picked Keiji up and stroked the underside of his chin. "He's a stray that drops by my house sometimes for meals. My best guess is that he used to belong to the old couple that occupied the house before." She placed Keiji on the ground again. "We should go now."

"Yes, let's," said Kunimi, starting to walk off. "Like I need a reason for Mizoguchi-san to bite my head off again."

So the trio—two dark, one light—strolled down the Miyagi's pathways in the early morning, Keiji following them on the fencing of residential houses. Around them, everybody was starting to stir. Business establishments and franchises were beginning to open. One middle-aged man flipped the sign on his door from 'closed' to 'open' while an elderly lady flooded her poor plants with water, her prune-like mouth gaping in a toothless yawn.

"Can you smell that?" Kindaichi said he turned his nose up, his nostrils flaring. "Gods, this has always been my favorite part of the walk to school: the smell of freshly baked bread."

"We get it, you're an early bird," Kunimi deadpanned, fighting off a yawn. "Not all of us are, though."

Shino didn't bother fighting off  _her_  yawn, lifting her hand to cover her mouth. Her uniform sweater was a size too big for her for the sake of comfort—the hem of her sleeve covered the majority of her hand so that only her fingers could be seen most of the time.

"We still have a bit of time before morning practice," Kindaichi pressed, edging toward the bakery. "Come on, please?"

Kunimi sighed but didn't argue, following Kindaichi as he gravitated further toward the source of the lovely bread smell. Shino glanced toward the lightening horizon before following the boys inside.

"Hi, hi~!" A warm greeting was given out to the three students by a plump woman with laugh lines around her mouth and eyes. "Oh, if it isn't Kindaichi-kun! I haven't seen you here in a while."

"I've been staying up too late and sleeping in a lot more," Kindaichi admitted, bowing his head sheepishly. "But I swear, that'll change! Once I get used to the high school amount of homework, that is..."

"Hah! Teenagers and their terrible sleeping habits nowadays..." The woman shook her head. "But never mind that—what can I get for you, sweetheart?"

Kunimi stifled a snicker.  _Sweetheart. Heh._

Shino merely blinked at the interaction between Kindaichi and the woman.

"A loaf of melonpan please," Kindaichi started before looking over at Kunimi and Shino. "Hey, don't you guys want to get something as well?"

"Eh..." Kunimi shrugged before pulling out his wallet. "Ah, what the heck? Why not? A melonpan for me too, please."

"Iwasaki-san?" Kindaichi prompted.

"I didn't bring my wallet."

"Damn. That's alright, I can pay for yours."

Shino frowned. "You don't have to do that... I can come back tomorrow or the day after."

But Kindaichi insisted, and soon, the three of them found themselves back on the path to school, all of them with warm, freshly-baked melonpan in individual paper bags. Kindaichi was halfway done with his, Kunimi a quarter-way done, and Shino was simply staring at her loaf.

"What's wrong?" Kindaichi asked through a mouthful of sweet bread. "Do you... not like melonpan?"  _She should have told me earlier if that was the case!_

"Oh, no, it's not that," Shino appeased him, pinching some of the bread between her fingers. "Just that... what do you want in return?"

"Huh?" Kindaichi blinked at her, mulling over her words. "Nothing."

She raised an eyebrow, bemused. "Nothing?"  _This is sounding awfully familiar..._ She thought of Iwaizumi, who had been distinctly uncomfortable when she had insisted on doing him a favor. In the end, it was more like him doing her extra favors—she had gotten a free chocolate shake and an escort home out of the whole thing. "... Are you playing a joke?"

"What?!" Kindaichi narrowed his eyes. "Are  _you_?"

"Kindaichi," Kunimi said warningly before taking a bite out of his bread.

"No," Shino said evenly. "But surely, you must want something in return."

"Well, I don't!" Kindaichi said hotly. "Geez—we're supposed to be friends. So what if I spent money on you? It's not a big deal or anything. I didn't do it because I wanted something in return."

"... I don't understand."

Kunimi smiled into his bread as he observed a mix of emotions flash through Kindaichi's face.

"Okay," Kindaichi said slowly, struggling to control his temper. "I bought the bread for you because it was a nice thing to do for a friend. That's it. There's no ulterior motive or whatever. Do you get it now?"

Shino stared at her bread again. Then a small, very minuscule smile appeared on her face and she bit into her melonpan, chewing before swallowing. "I see."

* * *

"Ugh, it's so hot!" Najimi moaned, her cheek smooshed against the surface of her desk. "I don't want to do math!" The brown-haired girl wasn't the only one who was hot and bothered over the fact that they had to do mathematics after school in the middle of spring. Others were also complaining, albeit more quietly, and there was that one prepared student who had brought with them a portable fan. Needless to say, that one student had a bunch of others crowding around him, mooching for some ventilation.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Ami said, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek.

"Hey, stop complaining," Kunimi said loudly, and Najimi lifted her head to glare over at him. He was sitting with some boys who all had their heads bent over their books and papers. He glanced at their direction. "It'll feel a lot longer so just buckle down, why don't you?"

"Asshole," Najimi seethed, giving him the finger. She was about to say more when someone else called Kunimi over for help and the boy promptly left. A vein popped on Najimi's cheek. "That jerk..."

"When you rationalize for this equation, you have the change the sign from minus to plus," Shino droned, and Ami and Najimi snapped their attention back to the blonde girl. They had forgotten that she was there. "That should help you solve it." There was a cry of "Iwasaki-chan!" and she got up and went over to another table.

"Ah, I see," Ami said, crossing out her working out before redoing it all over again. "Would you look at that, I got a whole number as an answer!"

"Whoop-de-doo," muttered Najimi. She sighed as she straightened in her seat, watching Kunimi and Shino move around the room at a near frantic pace. A lot more people had joined their after school tutoring classes after the first session got a positive response. Hell, there were even students from  _other classes_ in the room, all of them expecting to be helped by Kunimi and Shino.  _There's way too many for only two people to handle,_ Najimi realized.  _Sooner or later, this is going to tear them apart... not that I give a rat's ass about Mecha-Maniac but Iwasaki-chan is pretty cool..._

"Iwasaki-san! How do you solve question thirty-four?!"

"Yeah, I'm stuck on that one too!"

"Same here! Can you come and help, please?"

"Iwasaki-san!"

"I'll do it on the board for everyone," Shino said, her voice drowning in a sea of other voices. Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose before stalking over to the blackboard. "This is how you do it..." She went through the question step-by-step, and Najimi noted how strained she sounded. Not even the cool-headed Iwasaki Shino could escape the stress that came with teaching such a huge class, apparently.

"Ohh, I see! Thanks, Iwasaki-san!"

"You're the best!"

"I don't get how you got from line two to line three?!"

"I thought the question was asking you to solve both equations at once!"

"No," Shino ground out, a frown appearing on her face. "The question is asking for you to prove that the left hand side  _equates_ to the right hand side. We never solve using both sides like in a normal algebraic equation."

"How do you get from line two to line three?! Iwasaki-san!"

"Cot equals to cos over sin, Inoue-san," Shino sighed, her face flushed from the heat. "You should have your identities memorized by now."

"Poor girl," Najimi said, clicking her tongue. Most of the people asking the questions were students from lower, non-college prep classes. "Where the hell is Mecha-Maniac? Shouldn't he be helping her?"

"It looks like he has problems of his own," Ami pointed out, gesturing with her cute cookie-pattern pencil to where Kunimi was sitting, busy helping three tables filled with people who weren't actually their classmates.

"Ugh, you serious?" Najimi scowled. "What about Kindaichi? He's pretty smart too, isn't he?" She glanced around the room. "Wow, even he's busy with that table over there... I swear, if help doesn't show up soon for them—"

"Yoohoo~!" Knuckles rapped on the door frame and suddenly a brown-haired boy was there. Oikawa Tooru. "Wow, there are a lot more of you than I thought."

"Oikawa-senpai!" exclaimed Kindaichi, getting halfway out of his seat. "If this is about practice—"

The captain waved him off. "Nah, we're fine. Golden Week is coming up soon anyway so we'll have time to practice then." He smirked. "I was just wondering if you guys needed some help."

"Yes,  _please_ ," Kunimi called from the other side of the room, emphasizing the 'please'.

"Help would be more than welcome, senpai," a red-faced Shino huffed out, the bags underneath her eyes more accentuated than ever. Normally, they were hardly noticable.

"Yo, Oikawa, can you move? This corridor stinks like ass." Oikawa squawked as he was shoved inside by none other than Makki and Mattsun. Iwaizumi was still at the gym with the second years, as they had all decided to keep practicing.

"You guys!" Oikawa whined, rubbing his lower back and pouting. "And I was sounding so cool as well..."

"I think you're still really cool, Oikawa-senpai!" a girl squealed.

"Me too!" added another girl.

"And he's not even sweating in this heat!" swooned a bespectacled girl. "Perfection...!"

Oikawa flashed his third year friends a grin. They rolled their eyes and shoved him forward again. Rolling  _his_ eyes, Oikawa announced, "Those who need help, don't hesitate to ask! We're your upperclassmen—we've done this hundreds of times in  _our_ first year."

"Wow, hottie much," Najimi murmured to Ami, who was blushing profusely. "Hey, Oikawa-senpai! Over here, we need help!"

"Ah! So bold!" whimpered Ami, her face becoming even more red.

"Thank you," Shino said as she passed the third years to fetch a textbook in the back shelf. "We really need all the help we can get..." She stopped in her tracks. "What made you come here...?"

Mattsun shrugged. "We were bored. Besides, why the hell not? I've never tutored first years before, so this will be a new experience."

About half an hour later, Kunimi shouted over the top of everyone to announce break time, and there were some cheers as the majority of the students pulled out some food from their bags to snack on.

The boys in the volleyball team plus one Iwasaki Shino made themselves comfortable at the front of the room, the six of them sitting around two tables.

"Is this really a college prep class?" Makki was snorting. "I've seen middle schoolers with more brains than this bunch. No offence."

"None taken," Kunimi said wryly. "And for your information, some idiots from other classes decided to gatecrash."

"Why didn't you kick them out?"

"Because they're way too nice," Mattsun answered for Kunimi.

"More like too troublesome," Kunimi ground out, scowling. "They'd make more of a fuss if we were to object to their presence."

"Now, now," Oikawa appeased, grinning. "Everything's fine, ladies, so no fighting. I'm here now. It's okay." He made a pained noise when Makki's foot connected with his shin underneath the table. "Hey! What was that for?"

"I'm substituting for Iwaizumi," the strawberry blond answered with a shit-eating grin.

"You know, Iwasaki-chan," Mattsun said, propping his head on his hand. "You're pretty brave to be teaching this whole class. You and Kunimi both. What's it in for you guys?"

"She asked me to," Kunimi said shortly.

"More like you didn't want to run around and sweat it up," Kindaichi quipped, nudging his best friend.

"Well, I'm  _sorry_ if I didn't want my gene pool to be compared to a sloth's on Monday," Kunimi said exasperatedly. "Mizoguchi-san can be a real slave driver."

"And I was offered cake if I were to tutor the class," Shino said, and everybody turned to her. "A chocolate cake, to be precise."

There was a silence.

"She sold her soul for a cake," sighed Kindaichi.

"I totally get it, though," Makki defended her. "Cake's awesome. Period."

"I would have preferred milk bread, but cake's alright," added Oikawa.

"Chocolate, huh?" mused Mattsun. "Nice choice."

Kunimi chuckled. "Still not over that, Kindaichi?"

"Shut up,  _Mecha-Maniac_."

Instantly, Kunimi straightened. "Okay, I'm cool with a lot of things, but I will not stand for such language."

Shino observed them with interest as the boys bantered and cheered on Kindaichi and Kunimi, who were now getting themselves into an impromptu arm wrestle, Oikawa hilariously commentating the fight. Some more people—mostly boys but there were some girls who were there for Oikawa—crowded around the volleyball team, but Shino hardly paid attention to them until a girl tapped her on the shoulder.

"I wish I could be their manager," she sighed. "You're so lucky, Iwasaki-chan..."

"Lucky?"

"Well, duh. I mean, look at them."

 _Huh._ Shino kept her gaze fixed on the arm wrestle, the boisterous cheers of Makki, Mattsun, and her classmates filling her ears.  _Perhaps I am._

* * *

**_A/N: Welp, that's a wrap. I'm trying to get her to build relationships with the team. So far, I've done Oikawa and Iwaizumi, and her relationship with Kunimi and Kindaichi mostly spans throughout the whole story._ **


	9. Rebound

"Iwasaki-chan, over here!"

Shino glanced up from her clipboard to see Yahaba waving at her from the other side of the gymnasium, a megawatt grin on his face. It was rather fox-like, Shino mused, and she wondered what he wanted from her.

"Could you pass that ball over there? I accidentally lost it, hehe..." A small, boyish blush appeared on his cheeks, and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, not unlike the way Oikawa sometimes did. Opposite him, Watari Shinji, the libero, was giving him a distinctly unimpressed look.

Shino tucked her clipboard beneath her armpit and picked up the ball that Yahaba needed with one hand, lifting it up in the air as she prepared to throw it.

"No, wait!" Yahaba cried before she could launch it over to him. "Come here and pass it to me instead."

"It'd be easier for everyone if I were to just throw it to you," Shino replied.  _What a strange boy..._

"Aw, please? I'm your senpai! And, uh, what if you accidentally hit Makki's head?"

Makki, who had heard his name being mentioned, perked up and elbowed Mattsun. "Psst, dude. Watch."

"Hm?" Mattsun stopped what he was doing, catching the ball that Kunimi had spiked toward him. "What?"

"Just watch."

Pretty much everyone had halted their activities to watch a bemused Shino walk across the court to give the ball to Yahaba. Watari sighed and covered his face with one hand. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to end the way that Yahaba wanted it to.

"Oho, I see what's going on here," Oikawa murmured to Iwaizumi. "It seems that my heir has a small crush on Shino-chan. What do you think, Iwa-chan?"

"Honestly?" Iwaizumi smirked. "I'm just hoping to get a laugh out of this."

Kunimi and Kindaichi were both staring at Yahaba as his smile grew even wider as Shino approached him steadfastly. Then the second year brunet seemed to realize the reality of the situation and immediately grew flustered when Shino was just a few steps away. Both of the first years knew that Yahaba had virtually no chance of courting Shino, mostly because of the fact that Shino wouldn't be able to comprehend such affections. It was only puppy love anyway—it wouldn't last if it were to ever happen.

Mizoguchi, still enjoying his position as Head Coach for one more day before Irihata returned, smirked to himself.  _This kid is getting in way over his head..._ From what he'd seen from Shino so far, he came to the same conclusion as the first years.

"Here." Shino held out the ball to Yahaba, who looked mildly taken aback. When Yahaba simply stood there, she sighed. "Yahaba-san...?"

"Uh—right!" Yahaba straightened so quickly that Shino was nearly knocked flat on her ass. "Thanks!" As he took the ball from her, the tips of their fingers brushed. "Erk...!" As Shino turned to leave, he cried, "Wait!"

She halted in her tracks. "Yes?"

"Uh..." As Yahaba grew increasingly red, Watari slapped a hand over his mouth and dragged him to the side, sweatdropping.

"Don't mind him, Iwasaki-san!" Watari said cheerfully, still sweatdropping. "He has low blood sugar levels!"

"Oh, in that case," Shino said as she dug through her pocket, producing a wrapped sweet which she proceeded to give to Yahaba. "Take this, Yahaba-san. Maybe then you'll feel better. If your symptoms persist, I strongly recommend visiting your family doctor."

Then she returned to where she had been before her interaction with Yahaba, flipping through some pages on her clipboard.

"GAHAHAHAHAAAA!" Suddenly, Makki was right next to Yahaba and slapping the younger boy on the back. "Good game, good game!"

"S-shut up!" Yahaba pulled his shirt up to cover his face. "Not funny...!"

"Aw, it's okay," Oikawa comforted, sticking his tongue out in a playful manner. "You may be my heir to the throne, but not all of us are cut out in the seduction business—GYAH! Iwa-chan, what was that for?!"

"For making it about yourself," said Iwaizumi as he rolled his eyes. An afterthought struck him and he paused. " _Again_."

Kindaichi and Kunimi sweatdropped as they watched their upperclassmen comfort the still blushing Yahaba.  _This guy..._ they thought as they exchanged a glance. Maybe they could get a hold of Shino's cake tomorrow afternoon to feed it to him if he was still upset.

Suddenly, a very loud bang on the door caught their attention. The doors were almost always locked to prevent Oikawa's fangirls from invading the gym, but they could never be sure. A few had learned the art of picking locks just for their lord and savior, Oikawa. Sure enough, the door opened and a small, feminine figure stood at the doorway. Very quietly, she closed it behind her.

Noticing that she had gotten everybody's attention, she flushed. "Ex-excuse me! I'm just here for Iwasaki-chan, nothing more! Sorry for the interruption..."

"Oh, Suzuki-chan." And then Shino was beside her, still holding on to her clipboard. "If this is about mathematics, could it wait until this afternoon?"

"Mathematics?" echoed Mizoguchi.  _Come to think of it, I think that's the reason why she, Kindaichi, and the sloth have been absent the past three days..._ The boys hadn't been very vocal about it, even after Oikawa, Makki, and Mattsun all disappeared from practice on Tuesday afternoon.

Oikawa confirmed his thoughts. "Mmhm, Shino-chan is pretty bright, as is Kunimi, and they've basically been keeping half their entire grade afloat in their after school tutoring sessions." He chuckled. "Of course, me and Makki and Mattsun helped out a little when it got tough, heh."

Mizoguchi nodded slowly. "I... see."

"But it'll be over by the end of the week," supplied Iwaizumi. "Then we can get back to our normal routine before we head off to training camp during Golden Week."

Meanwhile, Ami and Shino were discussing, Shino looking vaguely troubled and nodding at whatever Ami was saying. Then the brown-haired girl bowed to Shino, holding out a piece of paper.

The thought struck nearly all of them at the same time.  _No way?! A confession?!_ Yahaba's spirit seemed to exit from his mouth and he fell backwards on the bench he was sitting on, leaving Watari to catch him before he bashed the back of his head on a metal railing.

Ami backpedaled and waved at Shino and the volleyball team before she skittered away, holding her skirt up like a delicate lady.

"Did you accept?!" Oikawa demanded as they all crowded around Shino, trying to catch a glimpse of the supposed love note that Ami had given her. But Shino had folded it in half, sealing away the sacred words. "You know that we'll support you, right?!"

"Yes, I accepted," Shino answered, looking faintly bewildered.  _How did they know? I was sure that we were talking quietly enough... And what do they mean by supporting me?_

"NO WAY!" wailed Yahaba before Watari silenced him again by slapping a hand across his mouth.

"You're drooling all over me," Watari mumbled as Yahaba sobbed dramatically. "Just let it all out..." Awkwardly, the libero used his free hand to rub soothing circles on the setter's back.

"Seriously?" Mattsun gaped. "I didn't even know you were into... well, you know. Can she really give you what you're looking for?"

"She can," Shino insisted with a firm nod. "We already talked about it."

"My god," gasped Makki. "Our manager's growing up!"

Kindaichi was gaping like Mattsun as he turned to Kunimi, who was equally shocked at the revelation. "Holy. Crap."  _This... this cannot be happening?! Right?! Wow, I totally wasn't expecting this at all..._ "Huh, didn't realize she swung that way."

Kunimi shook his head in disbelief. "You and me both. I wonder how Yahaba will deal with it." They glanced over at the second year, whose tears were already dry. "Tsk, typical."

"Alright, that's enough!" called Mizoguchi, looking faintly annoyed. "You can ask questions about Iwasaki-san's sexual orientation later—right now, I want some diving drills! Stat!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Sexual orientation?" Shino murmured to herself as the boys went to do their diving drills, completely puzzled. "What on earth...?" Wondering if it had anything to do with what Ami had given her, she unfolded the paper again, reading through it.

**INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THE CAKE YOU WANT, CHA~** **(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ**

**Frosting of your choice~**

**Milk!**

**Cocoa powder, unsweetened**

**Vanilla**

**Eggs**

**Sugar decorative of your choice~**

**(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ**

**Sorry I couldn't get this stuff by myself! I didn't realize I'd run out until this morning and I won't have time to buy any of it because my family is going to my aunt's tonight :(**

**Again, sorry, and thanks for understanding! And buy all the expensive brands! They're normally the best. Make sure eggs are free range. I'll reimburse you, no sweat, no sweat~! ^_^**

No, Shino thought as she tucked the paper in her pocket, she couldn't for the life of her figure out why her sexual orientation had anything to do with the ingredients that Ami wanted her to pick up at the supermarket after school and tutoring sessions. Shrugging, Shino went on with her day.

* * *

"Tomorrow is the final tutoring session," Shino reminded everyone at the end of the day. "Make sure you study hard at home as well."

"Yes, sensei!" a few smartasses felt the need to call out.

"Good," drawled Kunimi. "Then everybody can go home now."

There were some cheers and the students all got out of their seats. Some of them filed out the door and ran down the corridor while a few more grateful ones—mainly their classmates—went up to them and made an elaborate show of thanking them.

Five minutes later, the classroom was empty except for Shino and Kunimi and Kindaichi, the three first years moving tables back and returning textbooks to their original positions.

"Iwasaki," Kindaichi started. Both he and Kunimi and dropped the honorific by now. "Are you and Ami..."

Kunimi shot him a look.

"You know," Kindaichi fumbled with his words, "partners?"

"Well, I guess," Shino affirmed, not really catching his true meaning. "After all, it's a mutual benefit sort of relationship. You should know, you were there."

"I was?" Kindaichi was now officially confused.  _Like hell I was! I didn't know that Iwasaki and Suzuki were together until today! And how could they have been together if Suzuki confessed this morning?_ Something really wasn't adding up.

"Iwasaki, Kindaichi and I are headed to the supermarket before we head home," Kunimi piped up. "Since I ran out of snacks at home. I need ice cream to survive the coming summer... Anyway, come along?"

"Sure," she agreed readily. "I have to pick some things up for Suzuki-san, anyway."

"Why are you still being so formal? Aren't you two—" Kindaichi was cut off when a teacher popped their head through the doorway, looking quite annoyed.

"It's six o'clock, you three," she reprimanded. "Time to go home—we're locking up the school."

"Right, sensei!" Immediately, they picked up their bags and made haste, not slowing down until they were outside the school, where they proceeded to walk at a more leisurely place to the supermarket.

Once they arrived, they separated temporarily, Kindaichi going with Kunimi to look for snacks while Shino searched for her cake ingredients.

A warm, pleasant feeling consumed her being as Shino imagined the taste of warm, fluffy cake in her mouth. And Ami was giving her the liberty of choosing the frosting and sugar ornaments herself! This was turning out to be a sweet, sweet deal...

Shino nearly bumped into someone, stepping aside just in time. "Sorry."

"Iwasaki-chan?"

She glanced up to see Yahaba blinking down at her, holding an ice cream bar. He was with another student from their school, a boy with a mean-looking face and a rather interesting hairstyle that was certainly not as clean cut as Yahaba's.

"Yahaba-san," Shino acknowledged.

"What brings you here?" Yahaba asked, some cheer in his voice. "If you're going to get ice cream, I recommend the red bean." Before Shino could reply, he continued, "Oh—before I forget, this is one of my good friends, Kyotani-san."

"Hey," Kyotani offered.

"Evening, Kyotani-san."

Then Kyotani turned to Yahaba. "Isn't she the one that you were crying about—"

"Ahaha!" Yahaba took a leaf out of Watari's book and covered Kyotani's mouth with one hand, laughing. The sound was incredibly fake. "Forgive him, he talks too much sometimes." The boy yelped when Kyotani bit him, pulling his hand away. "Ow! What the hell?!"

"You were upset today," Shino interjected before a fight could break out, fixing her blue gaze on Yahaba. "And I think I know why."

"Oh?" Yahaba licked his dry lips. "And why's that?"

"Because you like me." Her reason came down bluntly, like a bludgeon on Yahaba's head.

At first, Yahaba stared at her. Then he grinned. "You really don't pull punches, do you? And you're not dense either... You were right. I did like you. But now..." He sighed melodramatically. "At first, I thought you were just shy, but you're really the opposite!"

"So you don't like me anymore?" Shino blinked. "Because I'm not shy?"

"You see," Kyotani said, looking down at her, "This weirdo only goes for the short, shy, demure ones. Now that he knows you're not shy (or demure, really), you no longer fit his criteria."

"Man, you really led me on!" Yahaba sighed before he realized how it sounded. "Whoops, didn't mean it that way. But... sorry for the trouble. Eh, we can still be friends, right?"

"I have no objections," Shino said evenly, still a bit wary of the setter.  _He's quite odd, only ever showing romantic interest when the subject meets a certain set of specifics._ Of course, he wasn't the only one who had a type, but Shino had never encountered anyone with such  _specific_  types.

"Good luck with that girl," Yahaba said with a sultry wink. "You two look good together."

"Huh?" Shino's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Wait, Yahaba-san... does... does everyone think that we're together? As in a romantic sort of way?"

"Eh? Aren't you, though? Didn't she confess to you? We saw her give you the love letter and everything!"

"Love letter? What love let—oh." Shino fished out the ingredients list. "You mean this?"

Yahaba took it from her and read it, Kyotani peering over his shoulder to do the same.

"... This is a really shitty confession note," was all the mean-looking boy had to say about it.

"Cake ingredients?!" Yahaba spluttered. "So you... you aren't—"

"No."

"You're not—"

"No."

There was a silence.

Then—

"I KNEW IT!" A shelf nearly collapsed as Kindaichi whooshed around the corner, pointing an accusing finger.

Kunimi arrived soon after, shaking his head. "Dumbass..."

* * *

That night, Shino found herself in the white room again, staring up at all those portraits. There was one for her mother. One for her father. One for her childhood friend that she hadn't spoken to in years: Ueno Konami. And then there were two more: one for Sayori and another for a piece of paper.

It read:

_Dear Shino,_

_I'm sorry._

_They're all yours now. They always have been._

_Sincerely, Me_

And if she remembered correctly, there'd been something written on the other side too. She could not control the dream enough to remove the portrait and the note, but she still remembered what it said.

_I wanted to see you smile, laugh and cry before I leave this world. But I guess it's too late for that now. I wish I could have shown you kindness, happiness, love, and even sadness but I guess I'm just not suited for that kind of job. Hopefully, you'll be able to find someone who can show you those things. Those precious, precious things that you lost in that damn accident. I don't want you to end up feeling alone like me._

_Again, sorry._

_Actually, I hope you don't forgive me. The kind of forgiveness you give out has always been the cruelest kind._

_Sincerely, Me_

* * *

**_A/N: ... oWo_ **


	10. Reward

Keiji wasn't there when Shino entered the kitchen that morning, but someone else was. Iwasaki Kido spoke in what could only be called an excitable manner into the phone, holding a cup of freshly brewed coffee in his hand. Her father said his goodbyes to whoever he was talking to when he saw her come in.

"Tou-san?" Shino said quizzically. "Why aren't you at work?"

"Well," Kido said, a small smile on his face as he examined his daughter's stoic features. "I know we only just bought the house, kiddo, but good news! If everything works out, we'll be moving to America by next week!"

Shino froze. "A... America? No."

Kido's smile faltered. "No?"

"No," Shino repeated firmly. "I don't want to go."

Bemused, Kido circled her, rubbing his chin. "There's something different about you lately..."

"We hardly see each other when it's not a weekend," Shino pointed out.

His face softened. "I know, and I'm sorry about that. Work commitments, you know? Sweetheart, why don't you want to come to America? You're a smart kid—you'll learn English fast. I know you will."  _It's not like she has any attachments here, right? Ever since her brain got smashed, she's been so detached... So why doesn't she want to leave?_

"It's not that," Shino said. "I've already made a commitment to something."

"Eh?!"  _Commitment?! Since when did my daughter make commitments?_

"The boy's volleyball team. I'm their manager. And they're my..." Shino trailed off.

"Friends?" Kido offered uncertainly.  _Could it... could it be?_ "Am I right? I'm right, aren't I?" His smile returned to his face. "Sweetheart...!" He wrapped his arms around her in a hug that she did not reciprocate. "I got you, kid. I don't have to reply until June, anyway, so I can put it off for a while before I say no to their offer." He stood back from her and rubbed the back of his head. "But since I'm now technically out of a job since I resigned yesterday... your mother's going to be the sole money bringer in the house until I find another job." Kido chuckled. "Speaking of... since America's now out of the question, your cousin's going to come visit!"

"... Huh?" Shino blinked. She hadn't heard any mention of this before.

"Ahaha, about that..." Kido uttered. "My sister—your first aunt—is going overseas on the weekend and the plan was supposed to be her son staying with us until she gets back. Of course, since I thought that we'd be moving, I had to refuse... but now he can come over!"

"I... I see." Shino continued to stare at her father. "I should eat and get going now."

"Ah, of course. Volleyball. Don't let me keep you."

So she didn't, giving Pochi a pat on the head before she grabbed a piece of buttered toast her mother had left for her in the oven and left the house. As usual, Kindaichi and Kunimi were waiting outside her gate.

"What took you so long?" Kindaichi asked as they set off to school.

"Nothing, really," Shino replied, taking a bite out of her toast. "Just an unexpected visitor." She paused. "That and my cousin will be coming over for the weekend, so I probably won't be able to make it for training."

"We don't normally go to those, anyway," Kunimi said. "It's optional... and we prefer using the weekend for more... useful things."

"You mean like lounging around?" Kindaichi teased. "Because that's all we did last weekend..."

"Give me a break, summer's coming."

"Strange, I was under the impression that most animals hibernate during winter," Shino said musingly.

They stared at her.

"Did... did you just make a joke?" Kindaichi managed.

Kunimi rolled his eyes. "Your observational skills are astute as ever, Kindaichi."

"Oi! She just caught me off guard, okay?"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Shino cocked an eyebrow. "When you make jokes in front of other people... it generally means that you're comfortable with them."

"Well, yeah," Kindaichi mumbled. "But you're...  _you_."

"Dude," Kunimi said pointedly.

"Sorry! I didn't mean for it to come out that way. Sorry, Iwasaki."

"I forgive you," Shino said simply.

They made a quick stop at the bread shop, where Kindaichi was called "sweetheart" by the owner yet again, and they all left the store with warm melonpans in their hands. Shino's bread had melted chocolate chips inserted inside.

"I have to duck down to the cooking club room before practice," Shino suddenly said. "Could you tell Oikawa-san or coach about it? It's about the cake that Suzuki-san is making for me."

"No problem." Kindaichi gave her a thumbs-up with his free hand, speaking through a mouthful of sweet bread. "That is, if you save us a slice."

Shino shrugged. "I don't see why not. It is... an act of kindness to a friend, right? Just like how you bought me the melonpan the other day."

"Yes, exactly!" Kindaichi affirmed, nodding his head.  _She's learning! Yes!_ "You got it, Iwasaki."

"That's good." She finished her snack, sucking on her fingers before wiping her digits down on her skirt.

Kunimi's droning voice filled the air next. "Achievement unlocked: First display of kindness."

"It's a good feeling, isn't it?" Kindaichi pressed. "When you make someone else happy... you're happy too. It's fuzzy," he put his palm over his heart, "in here."

"Hey, enough of that before I start questioning lifestyle choices," Kunimi quipped. "You're getting sappy."

"Sappy my ass! I was just explaining, sheesh."

"Fuzzy..." Shino placed her own hand over where her heart beat strongly. "In here? That's absurd."

Kindaichi flushed. "Hey, don't knock it till you try it... and knowing you, you're going to say it has something to do with endorphins or some shit, right? But spare me the biology lesson and just go with it, okay?"

"If that's what you want," Shino said graciously, her hand still over her heart.  _Fuzzy... in my heart. Huh._ Well, there was this... warm sort of feel in her chest now that she thought about it, but that was just homeostasis, right? "Fuzzy..."

"Hey, Iwaskai, hurry up!"

It was only when Kindaichi shouted that Shino realized that she had somehow lagged behind. Shaking her head, she jogged over to them, rejoining them once more.

* * *

The clock struck five forty-five and Kurokawa Najimi stood up. "Everyone! I just want to say how grateful we should be for Iwasaki-chan—no, Iwasaki- _sensei_! Without her, I don't think a lot of us would survive the test!"

"Here, here!" someone at the back called, getting some laughs.

"Without further ado," Najimi continued, bowing her willowy frame toward the door. "Your reward, sensei!" Suzuki Ami stepped in, beaming brightly as she brought into the room an impossibly large triple chocolate cake with spots of white frosting piped across the surface in an assortment of patterns.

Kindaichi gawked at the sight, and Kunimi had to reach his hand underneath the former's jaw and push it back up. Fast. Kindaichi's tongue ended up sandwiched between his teeth, and he hissed in pain. Kunimi looked wholly unapologetic, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement.

"Asshat," Kindaichi muttered halfheartedly.

Ami was obviously a lot stronger than she looked, what with her small frame and all. She carried the enormous cake with ease—carried it in a way that Kindaichi wasn't sure he could replicate, which sounded pretty pathetic considering he was at least two heads taller than the small girl. He supposed all her hidden muscles came from all the mixing she did—bakers had to deal with hard, disagreeable dough mixtures, right?

Shino's eyes were widened ever so slightly in surprise as Ami set the cake down on the teacher's desk—Hashimoto's desk, normally, but her's and Kunimi's desk for the afternoon.

"Enjoy, Iwasaki-chan! You really deserve it!" Ami said cheerily, passing the girl a cake cutter and an unopened package of plastic plates and forks.

"Hmm..." Shino stared down—or rather,  _up_  at the cake, which was as tall as it was wide. She looked around the room, observing the faces of her classmates, and the faces of those who  _weren't_ classmates. There was no way she would ever be able to finish all of the cake on her own. Silently, she opened the package of plastic plates and took one out (and a fork), then cut a slice of cake and placed it carefully onto the plate, putting the fork beside it. Everyone stared at her as she made her way down the classroom before eventually stopping in front of Kindaichi. "Here," she offered genuinely, holding out the plate to him.

"Eh?" A small blush found its way up his cheeks. "Iwasaki, what—"

"You said you wanted a slice, didn't you?" Shino interjected, pressing the rim of the plate against his chest, accidentally smearing some chocolate cream on his uniform. Oh well, that could be washed out later. "You and Kunimi-kun."

Kun. Their honorifics had evolved yet again.

"Don't you remember?" Kunimi pressed, trying to save his best friend from gulping air like a fish out of water. "This morning?"

"Ah! Right! Thanks..." Kindaichi took the cake from her and scooped some of it up with his fork.

Ami stared intently at them, waiting for Kindaichi to make some judgement about her baking skills.

"It's good!" Kindaichi exclaimed, eyes widening as the cake practically melted in his mouth in just the right way.  _I seriously underestimated Suzuki-chan!_ "Suzuki-chan, thank you!"

"Oh, hahaha..." Ami was visibly pleased, rubbing the back of her head in delighted bashfulness.

"I'll give everyone else a slice," Shino said when she saw the hungry expressions of everybody else. "Line up in front of the desk and don't push."

"WOOHOO!"

"Yum, cake!"

"Thanks, Iwasaki!"

"She's so nice!"

Kindaichi scowled through a mouthful of cake as he and Kunimi were jostled to one side by the sea of students struggling to get to the front of the room, where the magnificent cake sat. Shrugging, Kunimi dipped his finger in some chocolate cream and frosting and sucked it off.

"Yum," Kunimi seemingly deadpanned, but Kindaichi knew better. That cake was probably making his life flash before his eyes due to sheer deliciousness.

The cake was devoured within twenty minutes, nearly every student receiving a slice. Some had graciously declined as they had allergies or diets that weren't suitable for the consumption of cake.

"All hail Iwasaki!" Najimi cheered jokingly, lifting a fist in the air. "And good luck on the test everyone!"

As the chatter became increasingly loud, Kindaichi and Kunimi went up to Shino, who was scooping the last slice of the cake for herself.

"Hey," Kindaichi said awkwardly. "You know, you didn't really have to give us a slice... you ended up giving everyone else some as well, and I know how much you were really looking for this." It was why she had agreed to tutor the class to begin with. "I, sorry if you felt pressured or anything." He looked to Kunimi, who was nearly done with eating his own cake.

"What he said," Kunimi added.

"Don't be like that," Shino said flatly. "I gave it to you because you're my friends."

Kindaichi's heart warmed despite himself. "But this was supposed to be your reward."

Shino shook her head. "No," she enunciated slowly. "It's true that I only did this for the cake at first, but..." She glanced around the room, where everyone was smiling and laughing and talking over cake. "Somehow, this is more rewarding."

* * *

When Shino got home, her phone buzzed. It was a text from her mother. A small bit of dread filled her heart as she read the message. Tomorrow was going to be quite exhausting.

* * *

_**A/N: Shino's cousin is a canon character. I doubt anyone will guess who he is because he's so vague and unnoticed and I didn't drop many hints in the chapter about him.** _

_**Kido bringing up America. I didn't write that in for no reason. You'll see. Almost everything that has happened to Shino... the van, the rollerskating... it'll all come back and I'm gonna make it goddamn emotional because I'm kind of a bitch that way.** _


	11. One Per Customer

Kindaichi grumbled and folded his pillow across his face as sunlight trickled in through his window blinds. It was a Saturday today, and he really did not need to be woken up so soon. He'd spent most of the night talking to Kunimi on the phone and had slept at midnight, and hadn't accounted for an early awakening.  _Ugh..._ He kicked his blankets off, throwing his legs off the side of the bed and curling his toes in the fluffy carpet.

"Yuu!" an impatient voice sounded, followed by very loud banging on his door. "Yuu, get your ass up! We're going shopping! Okaa-chan's orders! And then I'm taking you to J-Mall!"

"I'm already up!" Kindaichi snapped back, running his hand through his bedhead. Something heavier slammed into his closed door. "Don't do that, idiot! You'll break your toes."

"Whatever," the voice huffed. "I'm coming in now to make sure that you don't just lounge around in bed and keep me waiting." The door clicked open a moment after that, and Kindaichi gave his sister an unimpressed look.

"Yuuki," he said tersely. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"What?" Kindaichi Yuuki placed her hands on her hips and glanced down at her front, her lips curling into a smirk when she realized what her brother's problem was. "Aniki, I'm fourteen now! I'm allowed to wear crop tops. And it's hot today, anyway." She grabbed the remote that was placed beside the light switch and turned his air conditioning off. "Now, hurry up! Don't keep me waiting, aniki!" Her dark hair, put up in a ponytail with bangs framing her face, swayed as she exited his room, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Yuuki, you little shit," Kindaichi muttered as he slapped his cheeks to wake himself up more.  _She knew I had plans with Kunimi today! I bet she went to okaa-chan and told her something weird._

His phone buzzed; a text from Kunimi. Sighing, Kindaichi typed something back, saying that he wouldn't be able to hang out today. The response was almost immediate; he'd head over to practice at the school instead.

Sweatdropping, Kindaichi couldn't stop jealousy from rising in his chest. At least  _someone_ had a good way to spend Saturday morning.

* * *

"Oh, good, you're awake," Miho said when Shino entered the kitchen, fully dressed in going-out apparel. "You got my text, right, love?" The woman scratched at her cheek almost sheepishly. Even after all these years, Shino couldn't really comprehend how soft her normally hard-headed parents were toward her. "I have to head down to the ER today, and since your cousin's coming over, I really, really want him to feel right at home! You know how much he loves omurice."

"Shibayama-san loves eggs in general," Shino rebutted as she poured herself a glass of milk. Distractedly, she noted that Keiji wasn't here this morning. It was probably for the better—her parents disliked any animal that wasn't a dog or a fish. "I remember him eating all the egg rolls at Yoshida-san's wedding last time..."

"Ah, yes." Miho nodded. "Anyway, you know what to do! Breakfast is on the table. I have to get going now." Hesitantly, Miho pulled her daughter into a small hug and kissed her temple. "Have a nice day, sweetheart."

Shino finished her breakfast and left immediately afterward, kicking off on her bike and pedaling to the convenience store. It was opposite the school's direction, so she found herself biking past Kindaichi's house.

"Aniki!" someone was complaining. Shino could hear it loud and clear thanks to an open upstairs window. "Does it take that long to shave?!"

"Shut up, it's delicate!" Kindaichi's familiar voice yelled back.

Curious, Shino stopped her bike in front of the Kindaichi residence, her neck craning as she stared at the upper level of the house.  _I didn't realize he had a sister._ Suddenly, a head popped through the window, Shino's eyes locking with the girl's.

Then the girl put her hand to her mouth and turned back, shouting, "Yuu, you're disturbing the neighbors!"

"Me?! You're the one that likes to shout at the top of her lungs! Ow—shit!"

The girl smirked, though Shino couldn't see it as her back was to her. "You nicked yourself, didn't you?"

"Shut up, you pest!"

The girl turned back to Shino. "Hey! Sorry for the disturbance, hehe..." She stuck her tongue out sheepishly. "Our household can be a little loud sometimes."

"I... okay," Shino replied, blinking slowly. "Does your brother have any plans today?"

"Eh?" She perked up. "You know my brother? Oh my gosh, you're his girlfriend, aren't you?!"

"WHAT?!" Something loud—a door, Shino supposed—slammed at Kindaichi suddenly appeared beside his sister, glaring at the younger girl. "What kind of rumors are you spreading about me—Iwasaki?"

She lifted her hand in greeting. "Yo."

"Kunimi's rubbing off on you."

"I know. I don't care."

Kindaichi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course you don't. I'll be down in a sec, just wait."

"You take sooo long," the girl complained. "You might as well be the girl in the family, not me! And you don't even have any facial hair—you only shave because that third year guy does it and you think it's cool!"

"Shut up, Yuuki!" Huffily, Kindaichi pulled the window shut and closed the curtains inside as well. Slightly amused, Shino's brows rose.  _I suppose I'll be waiting for them, now._

Inside, Yuuki was pressing her brother for details. "Aniki! Is she really your girlfriend? She's so pretty!"

"No, she's not," Kindaichi said harshly as he stomped down to the kitchen for a quick drink of water. He'd eat breakfast later. "So stop saying that. God, you're so annoying."

"Aw, but you love me anyway, don't you?"

"Don't test me, brat."

When the siblings finally left the house, the first thing they saw was Shino standing in the sun, scratching her forehead. It wasn't the first time Kindaichi had noticed her running her nails across that area, and he wondered what the story behind that was. A rash? Allergies?

"Good morning," Shino greeted with a small nod. "Are you busy today, Kindaichi-kun?"

"Unfortunately, he's taken," Yuuki answered for her brother, ignoring the dirty look he shot her. "Okaa-chan has asked us to pick up some groceries for her at the convenience store, and then I'm dragging him to J-Mall afterwards! Oh—I'm Kindaichi Yuuki, by the way. Nice to meet you, Iwasaki-chan!"

"Likewise," Shino returned.

"Yeah, sorry about cancelling your date."

"I wasn't asking him on a date," Shino said calmly. "I was just wondering if he could help me with something."

Well, that stung, but Kindaichi was certainly not going to acknowledge it. Besides, it wasn't as if she said anything wrong. She was merely correcting the presumptuous Yuuki. "What did you need help with?" he asked, pushing his sister away with one arm. She cried out indignantly. "I can spare some time."

"Aniki!"

"What? You can't possibly think I want to sit around and watch you spend forty-five minutes looking at one pair of shoes, do you?"

"That was one time!"

"You said you were going to the convenience store, right?" Shino interjected. "What I need help with is at the convenience store. If it's not any trouble—"

"Of course we'll help," Kindaichi interrupted, smiling. "Yuuki, you go ahead. I'll get the groceries and you can waste your time window shop."

"Really? You mean it, aniki?" Yuuki's eyes grew wide and shiny. She hated grocery shopping with a passion and had only agreed to her mother's compromise for the sake of going to J-Mall and squandering her allowance.

"Yeah, whatever. Knock yourself out."

"You're the best, aniki!"

Yuuki flounced away to the bus stop, and Kindaichi sighed. "Shall we?"

The two walked in comfortable silence, Shino rolling her bike along. He felt a little bad for her, actually, because she always ended up  _not_ riding her bike whenever she was with him and Kunimi. Now that they were all walking to school together every day, she no longer brought her bike to school, but he guessed that she still used it quite often.

"Thank you," Shino said abruptly as she stopped her bike at the bike rack outside the supermarket. "For helping me."

"Eh? It's no problem. We're friends, aren't we?" Kindaichi snorted. "Actually, you're doing me a favor. Yuuki can be an absolute monster when it comes to shopping for clothes..."

"I can imagine. Do you have many groceries to buy?"

"No, not a lot. Mostly snacks that Yuuki manipulated our mother into getting me to buy. Why?"

Shino's calm disposition wavered ever so slightly. "Well... You'll see. I wouldn't have bothered you for help if I didn't need it. But I really do."

Mystified, Kindaichi stepped into the store, side by side with Shino. They went to get his snacks first, then headed over to—

"They have a  _whole section dedicated to eggs_?" Kindaichi raised an eyebrow at the aisle, which was packed with cartons and cartons of eggs, each brand describing something different. They had free range, caged eggs, even  _magical_ eggs (which were just salted duck eggs, really).

"Apparently," Shino said vaguely. "They're having a sale, you know, so please collect as many as you can fit in your basket."  _Kaa-chan didn't really say how much I should get._ But she did say to get "a lot", so here she was.

"W-what?" Kindaichi stuttered. "These are pretty big baskets, you know..." He had some snacks in his basket for himself and Yuuki, but that didn't take up much space. "And they're going to be really heavy."

"Which is why I asked you for help," Shino clarified. "You're a lot stronger than me, Kindaichi-kun. I'm not very good at heavy lifting." It was true. Her arm was already starting to ache and her basket wasn't even half full with egg cartons yet.

The pair packed their baskets with egg cartons of the same type until they couldn't fit anymore inside, Shino grunting as she had to place her basket on the floor and pick it up by the handles with both hands, her arms trembling.

"Need some help?" Kindaichi eventually asked when she placed her basket on the floor for the fifth time on their way to the cashier. He was carrying his basket with relative ease compared to her. He chuckled at the small frown on her face. "Iwasaki?"

"I don't want to burden you any further," she said evenly.

"It's fine," he reassured her, picking up her basket from the ground with just one hand. Shino tried to take the basket from him and he gently nudged her away. "Seriously, it's fine."

"... If you say so. Number five is free." She pointed at the cashier, who was beaming brightly when he noticed them. Kindaichi placed both baskets beside the cashier, whose face fell when he noticed all the eggs. Kindaichi couldn't blame him. After scanning the first carton, the clerk look vaguely horrified.

"Sorry," the clerk said, "but since these items are on sale, it's limited to one per customer."

A very heavy aura appeared around Shino and Kindaichi.

"Sorry, don't kill me! It's just store policy!"

So off they went, putting all the egg cartons back except for two. They went to another counter, where Kindaichi paid for his snacks and Shino paid for the eggs. The automatic doors opened for them as they stepped outside.

"Well," Kindaichi began, "you didn't need my help after all—what are you doing?" Shino had turned around and entered the store again.

"Going back in, of course," Shino responded as she stood halfway through the automatic doors, tilting her head to one side.

"I can see  _that_ , but why?"

"For the eggs. I can't go home without them."

A feeling of dread filled Kindaichi's heart.  _Wait... don't tell me... She can't possibly be crazy enough to_ —

* * *

"Man," Yuuki huffed to herself as she walked to the convenience store from the bus stop. "I can't believe I forgot my wallet at home! Geez, how sad is that, huh?" She rounded a corner, perking up when she saw her brother and Iwasaki Shino emerge from the convenience store with many, many bags in their hands. She could actually see the redness of Shino's soft, abused fingers from where she was standing. She was about to call out to them and maybe tease her brother a bit when they turned around and walked back inside the store.

Puzzled, Yuuki rubbed at her eyes.  _Did they forget something...? Aniki_ does _have this annoying habit of leaving his phone at the most random places. It annoys okaa-chan to no end._ Kindaichi had looked worse for wear when she had seen him.

"Oya?" Yuuki raised an eyebrow as they came out again, this time with more bags. Then they went inside again.

Five minutes later, they returned. And did the same thing.

"Oya, oya?"

And again.

"Oya, oya, oya?" Sweatdropping, Yuuki walked past the store. "Man, my brother is so weird..."

* * *

"Arrggghhh!" Kindaichi groaned as he and Shino entered her house, where they proceeded to dump all of their grocery bags on the kitchen counter (save for Kindaichi's bag of snacks). Grimacing, he looked down at his red, throbbing fingers. Not even spiking a volleyball with all his might hurt this much.

"Are you okay?" Shino asked politely.

"Yeah, fine. But how are you going to fit all of this in your fridge?"

Shino was eerily silent.

Kindaichi sighed.  _Obviously, she didn't think about that. Great. We have twenty-six cartons of eggs in total and she can't even fit all of them in her fridge._

"There's only one solution," Shino suddenly said, her eyes hard with determination. "Kindaichi-kun, I'm going to need your assistance again."

"What is it?" Kindaichi asked warily. He had learned long ago that when Shino needed help, it was probably something drastic.

"I'm going to need your help cooking all of these."

"What?!"

"We're making omurice."

"WHAT?!" Kindaichi gaped at her. "How is that going to be effective?! Omurice only uses up three servings of eggs, not five hundred!"

"Three hundred and twelve, actually," Shino corrected as she opened up the first carton. "And we don't need to finish all of it. The only reason I bought so much is because my cousin from Tokyo loves omurice and egg dishes. So? Will you help me?"

"... Why do I feel like you're going to make a huge mess if I don't?" Kindaichi grumbled, huffing out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, I'll help."  _How could I not?_

Shino gave him a grateful nod. "Thank you, Kindaichi-kun."

* * *

**_A/N: This chapter was inspired by Lucky Star and Gourmet Hound. Both great anime/webtoons that you should watch/read!_ **


	12. Stuck

"Listen," Kindaichi said as he whisked some egg in the bowl he was holding, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple. "I know I said before that omurice only takes three serves of eggs to make, so I was skeptical..." He glanced over at a large container which was labelled 'scrambled eggs' and filled with the stuff to boot. "But we've already gone through more than three dozen eggs trying to get it right."

"Eh?" Shino hadn't heard a word he said, blinking down at her egg which was in a heated pan over the stove. "It ripped again..."

A vein popped on Kindaichi's cheek. "Hey, are you listening?"

"No."

"Oh, but you heard  _that_?"

"I just happened to be paying attention in that moment," Shino explained as she dumped her ruined egg into another box labelled 'scrambled eggs'. This box wasn't as full as the other three.

"Why don't I give it a shot?" Kindaichi asked when they messed up their fourth carton and were moving onto the fifth. "I've made omelets before."

"Maybe we should just eat fried rice with a side of eggs instead," Shino muttered before looking over to Kindaichi. "Be my guest. Obviously, I'm not going to get it right before the day ends."  _Perhaps I should have asked kaa-chan for cooking lessons before I attempted to do this..._ The most cooking she'd done in her life was boiling instant noodles, and even then she tended to overcook the damn things.

As Kindaichi took control, Shino stepped back, watching him intently as he fried the omelet, the pan sizzling nicely. Most of the egg smell had been sucked up by the exhaust hood over the stove, but some of the smell still managed to reach Shino's nose.

On another part of the kitchen counter sat a plate of fried rice that Kindaichi had made while Shino attempted to get a single omelet right. It had a lovely combination of shrimp, mushrooms, and other delicious things.

As Kindaichi finished up, flopping the yellow omelet over a clean plate, Shino glanced upward, knowing that the kitchen was directly below her father's bedroom. He still had not awoken yet, and she noted that Kindaichi was unaware of his presence in the house.

"There," Kindaichi was murmuring as he used the spatula to place the egg over the fried rice, Shino leaning over his shoulder as he hunched over the plate of rice, his tongue stuck out in concentration. Then it tore. "Fuck!"

"That's fine," Shino said when she realized that Kindaichi was going to throw his omelet away if she didn't interfere. That would be a shame, for the omelet really did look quite nice.

"Are you sure?"

"It didn't tear that much," Shino reassured him, carrying the plate of rice over to the dining table. She pulled out a chair and sat down, Kindaichi sitting beside her. "Wait—could you get some tomato sauce? Otherwise it won't look like the picture in the book."

"It already doesn't," Kindaichi said when he returned with the sauce, pointing grimly at the hole in the yellow blanket of egg.

But Shino ignored him, squeezing the tomato sauce in a zigzag pattern across the egg. "Hmm..." Once she was finished, she pushed the plate away from her, admiring it at a distance.

"So... what now?" Kindaichi asked.  _Are we going to eat it? Are we waiting until her cousin comes?_ But if it were the latter, when would that be?

"I don't know. We've successfully wasted some eggs, so I guess you're free to go."

"We're not going to eat it?" His stomach grumbled and he flushed. He hadn't had time to eat breakfast—Yuuki was supposed to have treated him to that at J-Mall.

"Hungry?"

"Oh, shut up," he uttered, rolling his eyes and slumping in the chair, his head tilted backward. "Hey, hold on—where's your dog?"

"Probably upstairs with my father," Shino said nonchalantly. "He can be a deep sleeper when he wants to be."

"Your father or the dog?"

"Both."

"Ah." Then it hit him like a rock. Kindaichi shot forward, slamming his knee into the table and wincing.  _Ow! Shit!_ "Wait, your  _father_ is home?!"  _What the hell is he going to think when he sees me here?!_ Did Shino's father even know was here? Or that he even existed and was friends with his little girl?

Shino blinked owlishly at him. "Is there a problem?"

"I—"

"Pumpkin pie?" Some heavy footsteps could be heard as Kido descended the stairs. "Is that you? What smells so good?"

Panicked, Kindaichi stood. "Quick!" he whisper-shouted at Shino. "Hide me!"

"Why?"

"Please! Just do it!"

"Now where's my other slipper?" Kido wondered aloud as he searched at the base of the stairwell for said slipper. "Don't tell me Pochi chewed it..." A barking sounded and Pochi bounded down the stairs, a slipper in his mouth. "You naughty dog! Bad dog!" Pochi whined.

In the kitchen, Shino guided Kindaichi to the bathroom behind said kitchen. "If you want to hide, stay in here."  _Why does he want to hide, anyway? Is he afraid of my father? But they haven't even met..._ Realization dawned on her.  _Perhaps that's why._ "Hurry."

Kindaichi nodded frantically as Shino closed the door behind her, shutting the boy inside the bathroom. He sighed quietly and slid down against the door until he was sitting on the cold, tiled floor.  _That was too close. Wait, what am I even doing this?! Isn't this what lovers do in secret relationships?!_ Cursing himself for his foolishness, Kindaichi hoped his thudding heartbeat wouldn't give him away.

Shino had closed the door just in time—her father rounded the corner and discovered her holding the bathroom doorknob. "Tou-san."

"Hey, kid. Nice omurice you got here. You make it yourself?" Kido gave her a tired smile. Kido was always tired. So was Miho. And when Sayori had been alive, she'd always been tired. It was like their family was destined to be forever bogged by this constant fatigue. Then Pochi began to bark at the door, tail wagging. "Is there someone in there...?" His eyes narrowed.

"No," Shino lied, completely straight-faced. "No one."

"Then why is Pochi so alarmed?"

Inside, Kindaichi's foot accidentally nudged a mop, and the cleaning utensil came crashing down.  _FUUUUU_ —

"What the—!" Kido recoiled from the bathroom and Shino gave the door a surprised glance. "Okay, what the heck is in there? Shino—"

"Nothing," Shino insisted, pressing her back against the door.

"Sweetheart, what wasn't just  _nothing_."

"It was a giant rat."

Kindaichi banged on the door, causing Pochi to bark again.  _Giant rat?! Giant rat my ass! Thanks a lot, Iwasaki..._

"A giant rat?" Kido's gaze grew concerned. "Hold on, let me grab the bat from the garage." As Kido disappeared in search for his bat, Pochi at his heels, Shino opened the door. "You should probably climb out the window." She gestured to the window above the toilet, which was just big enough for Kindaichi to wriggle through.

"This is so fucked," Kindaichi growled as Shino closed the door again. Grimacing, he stepped on the toilet seat, reaching for the window. He fumbled with the lock, and it seemed like forever before he got it open. Internally, he was screaming.  _I thought these kinds of things only happened in bad dramas! Arggghhh!_ He managed to get most of his upper body through the window, but then the window slid down, trapping him from the torso down. "Fuckfuckfuckfuck—"  _Why?!_ In response, the breeze caressed his face lovingly. Yeah, fuck the universe.

"Aha!" Kido cried triumphantly as he found a baseball bat in the garage. "I'm going to teach that rat a lesson."

"Kindaichi?" Shino hadn't heard from him in a while. Had he gone yet? Cautiously, she opened the door, blinking at what she saw. "Are you stuck?"

"Yes!" Kindaichi hollered. "Can you lift the window? Please!"

"Hold on." Shino climbed onto the toilet, trying with all her might to lift the window. "It's jammed. I can't lift it."

"WHAT?!"

Outside, Kunimi was returning home for lunch from volleyball practice, earbuds in his ears as usual, blasting some rock song.  _I wonder what Kindaichi's been doing all day. Probably carrying Yuuki-chan's shopping bags._ He smirked at the thought of an exasperated Kindaichi following his teenage sister around as she flitted through store after store.

In the bathroom, Shino could hear her father stomping to the bathroom. Her heartbeat speeding up, she grimaced. "Kindaichi, I'm going to do something that might invade your privacy. Forgive me."

"What—" Kindaichi choked on his words when he felt her palms on his  _asscheeks._ "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" His face turned tomato red and he began to try and pull himself away from her groping hands.

"Pushing. Try grabbing the windowsill and pulling yourself out to help the momentum."

"Oh my god. You know what, I might as well face your dad and get it over and done with."

"Then what was the point of all this?" Shino inquired indifferently as she pushed against his butt. "Come on, pull. You know I'm not that strong."

"Iwasaki, seriously, I'm going to come back inside—"

"Pumpkin pie!" Kido hollered, shutting the door to the garage behind him. "Dangit, Pochi, are you still in there? How troublesome."

"SHIT!"

"Calm down, Kindaichi."

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! I'M STUCK HARDER THAN WINNIE THE POOH AND YOU—YOU'RE TOUCHING MY  _ASS_! DON'T—KUNIMI! KUNIMI, IS THAT YOU?!"

"Eh? Kunimi's here?" Shino blinked confusedly.

At the sight of Kindaichi stuck halfway through the window on the side of Shino's home, he halted, sweatdropping. "What..."  _What am I looking at...?_

"Please!" Kindaichi pleaded, clapping his hands together and squeezing his eyes shut. "I'll buy you salted caramel! Just... just pull me out, please!"

Sighing, Kunimi hopped the low fence and went over to where Kindaichi hung. Then he pulled on one arm with both hands, Kindaichi using his other hand to push against the windowsill. Inside the bathroom, Shino was pushing against his butt. Finally, his hips got through, and his legs spontaneously kicked upward as he was pulled through the gap by Kunimi. Shino flailed, banging her head against the wall as the window closed by itself.

"Ow," she murmured, rubbing the back of her head.

"Sweetheart, did you get the rat?" Kido demanded as the bathroom door flew open, Pochi barking madly. His gaze softened when he saw her nursing her head. "Are you okay?" He threw the bat down and helped his daughter up, holding her close.

"I'm fine. Also, the rat's gone. It escaped through the window." Her head pounded, but the pain would soon subside.

"Eh, really? I didn't realize that rats could climb."

"Well, this one could."

* * *

"Do I even want to know?" Kunimi wondered as he walked a very red, very embarrassed Kindaichi home.

"We will never speak about this," Kindaichi said darkly, storming forward.

A small smile on his face, Kunimi said, "About what?"

"Exactly."

There was a pause.

"Also, I want the expensive kind."

"Of course," Kindaichi grumbled. "Of course you do."

* * *

"This is pretty good," Kido complimented as he and Shino scooped spoonfuls of egg and rice into their mouths. "I didn't realize you could cook."

"I had some help... from the cookbook," she said before taking a bite. "I think I can recreate it for Shibayama-san."  _Thanks to Kindaichi._

"You do that." He ruffled her hair, grinning. "I'm going to go prepare some resumes now—thanks for the meal, kid."

"You're welcome, tou-san." When her father was gone, she finished the rest of the omurice. "Hmm... Kindaichi would make a good househusband." And his ass wasn't half-bad either.

* * *

_**A/N: And cut! This one had to be a bit shorter than usual because I don't really have much time. I'm juggling this fanfiction with my Chemistry, Physics, and Extension Mathematics exam studying... RIP.** _


	13. Braided

A black-haired boy smiled shakily as people coming up from behind him dispersed around him, some of them sending nasty looks his way that he didn't catch. He was carrying a black backpack as well as a small suitcase. A loud rattle sounded and Shibayama Yuki turned around to see the train he was on just a few minutes ago shoot away, a new batch of passengers on board.

Taking a deep breath, he walked down the platform, toward the staircase that would lead him outside of the train station. On the way, he passed a memorial dedicated to victims of a train accident that had happened five years ago. Feeling conflicted, Shibayama stopped in his tracks and clapped his hands together in a prayer position. There was a list of names as well—mostly of important people or locals. Mitsuki Sakura. Kageyama Minato. Chan Zack. Makoshima Daichi. Makoshima Minami. People that he had never known, but he was determined to show respect to them anyway.

Shibayama went on his way after that, pulling out his phone just in case he needed to call his aunt, Iwasaki Miho. "Etto..." He scrolled through his contacts so that he would have her on standby. "Ah!"  _There!_

"Get out of the way, kid."

"Ack! Sorry, sir." Shibayama moved out of the way for a businessman in a hurry, the man's eyes perpetually glued to his watch.

Five minutes later, he was outside the train station, the train station's tower looming over him.  _Where's Miho-ba?_ he wondered as he looked around for a head of blonde hair.

The sun had already gone down, but since Miho worked in the ER, it might take her a while. "I hope she doesn't take too long," he murmured to himself, closing one hand around his phone and shoving both hands into his hoodie pocket.

A boy with orange hair with a volleyball tucked underneath his armpit walked past, chattering excitedly to a boy with raven hair that looked like he didn't want to be there at all, a scowl on his face.

A girl with a lovely braid walked past after them, and Shibayama snapped to attention, eyes wide as he regarded her flowing braid. Sensing someone's gaze on the back of her head, the girl turned around, blinking.

"Can I help you?" she asked warily.

"Oh! Sorry, it's nothing..." Shibayama replied. As she left, he sighed out a name, "Fuuka..."

A horn sounded and a car pulled up in front of him. The windows rolled down, exposing Miho's tired visage. "Good evening, Shibayama-san. Get in, it's pretty late. Shino made dinner for you."

"Eh? That's nice of her," Shibayama remarked as he got into the back seat after placing his wheeled suitcase in the trunk.

"I know. I was surprised when Kido called and told me that she had dinner handled. My girl's growing up so fast..."

Twenty or so minutes later, they arrived at the Iwasaki residence, Shibayama looking around in awe at his temporary home.

"Make yourself at home," Miho invited. "There's a spare room prepared for you a little further down Shino's room."

"Right! Thanks, Miho-oba." Shibayama always made sure to mind his manners around Miho. She always seemed so serious at family gatherings, and Shibayama didn't want to get on her bad side.

As Shibayama unpacked in his room, humming to a song that only he could hear, the door creaked. On his knees, he turned to face Shino.

"Shibayama-san," Shino acknowledged politely.

"Shino-chan!" Shibayama smiled at got up, pulling her into a bit of an awkward hug. "It's been so long, ne? You're almost the same height as me, hehe..."

"It has." Shino's voice was indifferent. "I hope you enjoy your stay, Shibayama-san."

There was a pause. Then Shibayama chuckled. "Too long, obviously. Don't be like that! Call me Yuu-kun! I mean, I call you Shino-chan, so..."

"Yuu-kun it is then," Shino responded with a nod. "I'll keep that in mind. Dinner's ready, by the way. Come down whenever you feel like it." Then she was gone, closing the door softly behind her.

As Shibayama began to unpack his toiletries, his lip quivered ever so slightly, and the boy swallowed.

* * *

"Thanks for the food!" the Iwasaki family plus Shibayama chanted in unison, grabbing their chopsticks.

Miho and Kido began to scoop white rice into their mouths at a leisurely pace, while Shibayama and Shino immediately went for the egg dishes that sat in the middle of the table.

"How is your mother?" Kido asked cautiously halfway through the meal, his stern gaze meeting Shibayama's passive one.

"She's well," Shibayama responded, smiling. It was tired, Shino noted, just like everybody else's.

"Is she enjoying the sights in Hong Kong?" Miho inquired politely.

 _So that's where oba-chan went,_ Shino thought idly, chewing on some egg, meat, and rice.  _Why Hong Kong, though?_ Even if Shibayama's mother was born there, it was very unlikely that she had simply gone there on a whim because of homesickness.

"They... don't really have time for sightseeing," Shibayama answered, his smile growing more strained. Her cousin was a very gentle person, but Shino felt that, with more prodding, he was going to break soon.

"Of course," Kido said, closing his eyes. "Fuuka."

"Y-yes... Sorry, may I be excused?"

Miho gave Kido a disapproving glance as Shibayama did a little awkward half-jog-half-walk down the corridor before ascending the stairs. "Really?"

"You were curious too!"

"You didn't have to bring Fuuka up!"

"What's wrong with Fuuka-nee?" Shino asked casually, and both of her parents flinched, having forgotten she was there. She couldn't blame them, really, because they weren't the only ones who regularly forgot about her presence.

"N-nothing!" Kido stuttered out, and Miho sighed.

"Fuuka-chan is ill, dear," Miho explained quietly, craning her neck to peek over Shino's head. She was checking if Shibayama was still within earshot, even though they had all heard him run upstairs just moments ago. "That's why she and your oba-chan are in Hong Kong right now. They are checking Fuuka-chan into one of the best cancer hospitals in the world."

"Oh. I see."

Miho's gaze grew sad. "She's lost most of her hair thanks to chemotherapy—which hasn't helped at all, mind you—but she's starting to grow it out again. It's up to around here now." Miho placed her hand just underneath her ear.

Shino didn't reply, opting instead to finish the rest of her dinner in quick, neat bites before declaring, "I'm going to bed. It's been a long day."

"It certainly has," Kido agreed. "We fought a giant rat today."

Miho stared at him dryly. "Did you, now? I'm sure it was quite the adventure."

"Don't take up that tone with me, woman—"

"Goodnight," Shino interjected sharply before leaving the room.

* * *

Shino stared at the phone sitting on her desk next to a pile of neatly stacked homework, textbooks, and other assignments. Her fingers were currently occupied with her Rubik's Cube, as it nearly always was when she had it in her reach, as she had her staring contest with her phone. Crickets could be heard chirping outside in the warm evening, and she had closed her window in order to make sure that none got in. Even so, the chirps were loud and clear.

When she finished solving her cube puzzle, she slid off her bed and picked up her phone before flopping back onto the comfy mattress. The phone steadily intoned as she waited for the person on the other end to pick up, having deftly dialed the number in.

_"Hello?"_

"Kindaichi."

 _"Hm? Shino? What's up?"_ Kindaichi sounded a bit awkward, and Shino deduced it was because of what had happened earlier today.

"I'm sorry I put my hands on your butt without your permission."

There was some incomprehensible spluttering.  _"Iwasaki!"_

"What else do you want me to say besides 'sorry'?"

 _"I—I—ugh, never mind. Don't apologize, you'll... don't worry. Anyway, you didn't call me just for_ that _, did you?"_

"No."

_"Then what?"_

"I think my cousin is sad." Scratch that, she was pretty certain he was.

 _"Why?_ " Kindaichi sniped.  _"Did the omurice give him food poisoning?"_

"No. My father and I ended up eating it instead, since he was hungry for a snack."

He didn't know why, but Kindaichi felt like his hard work had all gone down the drain. Well, at least Shino ate some. Hopefully, she'd enjoyed eating it too. "Then why?" he repeated.

"I don't think it's my story to tell," Shino said truthfully, a small frown on her face as she thought about how upset Shibayama must be over Fuuka's illness. "But how do I cheer him up?"

_"Hmm... well, when Kunimi gets mad, I normally just get him chocolates or salted caramels if he's especially pissed."_

"That's not helpful."

 _"Okay, okay... Let me think, geez."_  His voice was defensive. Shino didn't understand why.  _"I'd still go for a gift approach. You can't go wrong with that. Give him something that's meaningful. Or something he really likes."_

"He likes eggs," Shino said uncertainly. "Perhaps..."

 _"The cartons of eggs in your fridge don't count,"_  Kindaichi shot down dryly. She could almost see him rolling his eyes.  _"Doesn't he like anything else? He's not Humpty Dumpty, you know."_ There was a pause.  _"At least, I hope not. That would make him a cannibal."_

"Then what?" Shino asked, mostly to herself.  _Something that means a lot to Shibayama-san... but what?_ Deep in thought, she idly fingered her hair as she ran a list of things Shibayama through her mind. But nothing really stood out.

 _"How would I know?"_  Kindaichi demanded. Shino had almost forgotten that he was still there, having been lost in thought. " _You think about it. He's your cousin, not mine."_

"I know. Thank you for your advice."

_"It's no big deal. 'Night."_

"Goodnight."

 _Sadness,_ she thought to herself as she ran her hand across the bedsheet.  _Shibayama-san is sad because of Fuuka-chan's sickness. But why? Fuuka-chan is sick, not him._

 _Well,_ a small voice in her head argued reasonably,  _You were upset when Sayori died._

 _Yes,_ she conceded to that thought,  _But I am no longer upset. I felt like I could have done something. I still do. But I was not... sad._ Come to think of it, until Sayori's death, she hadn't  _really_ known sadness, had she? And even then...

She could almost feel Sayori's warm blood splattered all over her front; her broken body on the pavement, people screaming, wailing, crying because a teenage girl was dead and Shino had been too late—

Shino got out of the bed. She needed to take a hot shower.

When she got out of the bathroom, fully clothed in her pyjamas with a damp towel slung over her shoulders to prevent her wet hair from dripping all over her back, she could hear a muffled noise come from Shibayama's room.

Curious, she shuffled over to Shibayama's door, closing one eye and using the other to peep through the keyhole.  _He's crying,_ she realized, even though she could not see his face. He was lying on his bed, his back facing her. He was shuddering—sobbing. Shino got up from her squatting position and opened the door. Shibayama darted up, his face a blotchy red, his eyes swollen.

"S-Shino-chan," he stammered, wiping at his face with the back of his wrists. "Sorry, did I disturb you—" He hiccuped, effectively cutting himself off. "T-this is embarrassing..."

"Shibayama-san," Shino started before amending, "Yuu-kun. Are... you okay?" The weight of her words felt almost foreign to her, but she went on, "Can I help?"

"Sure," he said bitterly, "If you can cure cancer, then sure." Then a vaguely horrified look came upon his face. "I'm sorry—"

"I forgive you. I was sad too, when Sayori died." Not sad enough, but it would do.

"A-ah..."

"Mm."

There was pause.

"Can I help?" Shino reiterated. "I don't want you to feel... sad. Upset," she added as an afterthought, as if she weren't really sure what to refer to Shibayama's emotional state as.

"Well..." Shibayama tried to inject humor into his voice, but ultimately failed. "You got any chocolate in the house?"

Ah! Kindaichi had come through! Shino nodded. "Wait here."

Soon, they were both sitting on Shibayama's bed, the boy quietly eating chocolates from a tin. It'd been a Christmas gift that Shino and her parents had never opened. It was pure luck that the candies hadn't expired yet. Occasionally, Shino took one too, but only because Shibayama insisted that he couldn't finish it all himself after such a big dinner. Shino did not deign to remind him that she had eaten the same amount as him. Which was odd, really, because when it came to egg-related dishes, Shibayama normally couldn't help himself and ate three times as much as he had eaten tonight. She supposed that Shibayama's appetite was connected with his negative feelings.

"Umm..." Shino glanced over at the boy, who had stopped crying and was now twiddling his thumbs. "Can I do your hair?"

"Eh?" She hadn't been expecting such a request.

"Heh, sorry... It's just that, I used to do Fuuka's hair every day before... I wonder if my skills are still up to par."

"You may," Shino allowed, understanding that this might mean something to Shibayama. "But it's still a bit damp."

"That's okay. I don't mind."

So Shino simply sat in silence while Shibayama did her hair in all sorts of different, schoolgirl-appropriate styles before settling for a long, thick braid that could only be possible with the amount of hair Shino had on her head.

"Fuuka dyed her hair blonde," Shibayama said aloud as he reached the tail end of her braid, tying it off with a band. "Said she wanted to try out as many colors as possible just in case." The boy paused, a fond smile appearing on his features. "But she got used to the color and decided she liked it much better than black or any other color in the world. It's the same shade as yours, actually. She used to have long hair like you, but it all fell off. She liked braids as well."

Shino wasn't quite sure how to reply, so she settled for silence.

"Soo... what club are you in, Shino-chan?"

Good; a question she could answer. "The boy's volleyball club. I'm their manager."

"Waahh, really? I'm in the volleyball team at Nekoma too! Hey, do you think our teams will meat someday?"

"Probably. The boys plan to go to nationals before the third years graduate. With the Interhigh coming up, they're practicing. A lot. There'll be a training camp during Golden Week as well."

"Cool! I'm done with your braid by the way. It's really long. Longer than Fuuka's used to be."

"It's nice," Shino said mildly, throwing the braid over her to her front and examining it. "Thank you, Yuu-kun."

"No problem." Shibayama let out a small sigh as he fell backward onto the mattress. "I'll be going back home tomorrow afternoon. I could have stayed home, but it would have been lonely. Plus, okaa-chan said it was safer to be with others."

"Oh. You don't like being by yourself?"

"Of course not. Does anybody?"

 _No,_ Shino answered silently, Sayori's exhausted face flashing through her mind.  _I don't think so._

* * *

Kindaichi and Kunimi went to practice on Sunday morning. With the prospect of nationals coming up, they couldn't afford to take that many breaks any longer. It was past noon by the time they left the school, and found themselves walking downtown for a bite to eat.

"Can we hit the one hour cake shop after?" Kunimi asked for the third time after they sat down in a family restaurant.

"Those places are ripoffs," Kindaichi argued. It was always the same response to the same question.

"I'm craving caramel cake."

"You're always craving something sweet," Kindaichi pointed out.

"Exactly, which is why we should go."

"And how is this any different from drugs?"

"Don't be a bastard. You can't compare sweets to drugs."

After their lunch, Kindaichi reluctantly agreed to go to the cake shop with Kunimi. He was just about to go in when he spotted a familiar face sitting by the window. "Iwasaki?"

"Hm?" Kunimi turned his head. "Oh, hey. So it is. I've never really seen her around here before."

"Really? I'm surprised," Kindaichi commented. "She likes cake as much as you do."

"Smoking or non-smoking?" the old lady waitress asked the boys as they loitered by the counter.

"Non-smoking, obviously," Kindaichi replied, a tad affronted by her question. "We're underage."

"Take a seat over there..."

They were placed right next to Shino's table, but she was too busy concentrating on something playing on her phone to even notice them.

"Iwasaki," Kunimi drawled. "Iwasaki!"

"Huh?" Shino removed the earbuds from her ears. "Oh. Hi."

They both returned her greeting before Kindaichi asked, "What are you watching?"

A very small, amused smile made its way onto her lips. "Spacebook video. It's gone viral and it hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet."

"Can I see?"

Shino raised both eyebrows. "Are you sure? You might not like what you see."

"Come on," Kindaichi said impatiently. "I'm sure it can't be that bad." So Shino gave her phone up to him, and Kunimi scooched around the table to get a good view.

Shino regarded them with wry eyes.

Then—

"WHAT THE?! THAT'S ME!"

Apparently, the house opposite Shino's residence had security cameras installed, and one of the cameras had caught a particularly comical scene yesterday. Namely, Kindaichi attempting to crawl out of Shino's bathroom window before getting trapped halfway. Then Kunimi came along, hopped the fence, and started to pull Kindaichi's arm. The fact that it was all in black and white as well as sped up only added to the hilarity. And the video had been shared over one million times.

Shino glanced up at Kindaichi, whose spirit seemed to be exiting from his mouth as he flopped over the table, his arms dangling over the sides.

"I'm ruined," he said, voice spiritless.

Kunimi gave him a sympathetic pat on the back.

The video was soon put away, and Kindaichi muttered, "At least they didn't see what was happening inside..."

Shino blinked while Kunimi raised an eyebrow. "What was happening inside?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Uhh... nothing! So, Iwasaki, what brings you here today?" Kindaichi plastered a smile on his face as he regarded Shino, pointedly ignoring Kunimi's question. Shino did look quite nice this afternoon, her hair worn in a long, thick braid with a green ribbon securing it.

"Just a haircut," Shino said vaguely. "Actually, I need to go now. I'll see you tomorrow, Kunimi; Kindaichi."

Her leaving was abrupt, but the two boys simply shrugged it off.

"Oh," Kindaichi said when he looked at her table, "She left her cake behind." It was an uneaten slice of red velvet. It was too late to catch up to her now and return it to her. Sighing, he picked up the plate of cake and went over to the counter. "Can I get this in a box?"  _Troublesome girl..._

* * *

It was nearing sunset when Kindaichi found himself walking to Shino's house, the box of cake he held swinging back and forth lazily in a plastic bag. He hesitated as he neared the gate, unsure if he was welcome or not with her father stomping around the residence.

"Kindaichi?"

Ah.

Kindaichi turned. "Iwasaki—" He faltered. "You... you cut off all your hair!"

Indeed she had. Shino's lovely hair, once long and silky, had been lopped off from the nape of her neck down. In her hands, she held a long  _something_ in a plastic sleeve. When she got closer, he realized that it was the braid he had seen her wearing earlier today.

"Why?" Kindaichi uttered, eyes wide as she stopped in front of him.

"You told me to do something meaningful for him," Shino began, and she must have been talking about her cousin, because, really, who else could she have been referring to? "So I did."

"You..." He shook his head. "You're insane. I can't believe..."

"What did you come here for, Kindaichi?"

Right. He'd forgotten about the cake. "Oh, er, here..." He held out the bag to her. "It's the cake you left behind at the store. I thought'd it be a waste for them to throw it out, so I had it boxed for you."

She stared at the bag for one moment before taking it. "Thank you."

"Sorry for calling you insane," he murmured, rubbing the back of his head.

"I forgive you."

When Kindaichi lifted his gaze, he took a good look at her. It was strange to see Shino with short hair. She still had her bangs covering her forehead and framing her face, and it wasn't like the cut was boyish or masculine, but... It was so damn different. "Umm... you look... nice. I should go now..."

"It is getting dark," Shino agreed. "Goodnight, Kindaichi."

"Yeah. 'Night." He started to walk away before stopping again. "Wait!"

She turned. "What is it?"

"Why did you do it? Cut off all your hair.  _What does it mean to him_?"

"A lot," Shino answered evenly. "A lot more than you or I could ever imagine. It's a gift of kindness... and sadness, I suppose."

They parted ways after that, and Kindaichi found himself admiring her in a new light.

* * *

Blearily, Shibayama Fuuka opened her eyes. "Yuu..."

"Fuuka." Teary-eyed, Shibayama gave his sister a wobbly smile. "Do you remember cousin Shino-nee?"

"Yeah." Fuuka sat up a little straighter, her arms shaking slightly. "Why?"

"She heard about how sick you were. And she gave you this." He presented to her Shino's braid. The girl's eyes widened.

"I-I—" Fuuka had to reign in a sob. "Onii-san!" Tears started to fall from her eyes, and Shibayama wiped them away, his eyes glassy.

"Don't cry," he said softly. "I love you Fuuka. And so does Shino-nee. This gift... it comes with a lot of happiness, and kindness, and a bit of sadness too. Her words, you know?"

Fuuka tried to smile through the tears. "Well, I think she's v-very good with words."

* * *

"WAKE UP!"

Kindaichi shouted as Yuuki tore into his room and parted the curtains and rolled up the blind. "Dummy! Today's your training camp! You've overslept!"

"EHH?! THANK YOU, YUUKI, YOU'RE AMAZING!" Kindaichi shot out of bed, scrambling for the bathroom.

As the bathroom door closed, Yuuki smirked to herself, having reset the clock an hour forward. "Hehe... Aniki is so stupid..."

* * *

_**A/N: A new lesson for Shino, huehue. Sadness and generosity (continued from the cake). (Kindness was the melonpan).** _

_**AND IT'S TRAINING CAMP! WOOTWOOT!** _

_**I'm not sure if Aobajosai actually goes to training camp because wowowowow i haven't watched the anime because im too busy reading angsty Naruto smut** **—whoops said too much. But for the sake of this fic, they do.** _

_**Some Kindergarten Bully Easter eggs in here. As well as some Naruto ones.** _


	14. Crows

Kindaichi all but flew into the bus bay, the soles of his shoes burning as he screeched to an abrupt halt, hunching forward and clutching his knees, panting hard. "Yes," he puffed, a broad grin appearing on his face.  _I made it here within five minutes!_ "I'm not late—eh?" His legs wobbling, Kindaichi straightened, looking around in confusion. Where was everyone? The bus were still here, which meant that they hadn't left yet. "Kunimi?" he called uncertainly. "KUNIMI!"

"Hey, kid, keep your voice down."

"Gek!" Kindaichi flinched, bringing his arms up at the gravelly voice. It turned out to be a graying old man. He was sitting down, facing the bus. "Oh, sorry—"

"Damn right you should be," the man grumbled. "I don't get paid enough for this... Why are you here so early, anyway, kid?"

"Training camp," Kindaichi responded, as if that answered every possible question the man might have. "What about you?"

The old man was doing something to the bus, but Kindaichi couldn't really see what from his position.

"What does it look like?" the man snorted as Kindaichi leaned to the right to see what the man was doing. "I'm refilling the bus."

"What?!" His hand twitched as something dawned on him. "Sir... what time is it?"  _It'd better be no earlier than five o'clock._

"Heck if I know. Last time I checked—what, er, what five minutes ago?—it'd just turned four."

Kindaichi didn't reply, simply staring at the old man in stunned disbelief. Then the boy took a deep breath—

The man raised his eyebrow. "Hey, kid, you alright?"

—and let out an almighty scream, "YUUUUUUUUUUUUUKIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

* * *

"Ahou," the crows cawed as they flew overhead Shino's house. "Ahou. Ahou." The birds disappeared into the clouds as Shino exited her house, stretching on her porch. Her spine curved backward delicately as the early morning zephyr pushed her short hair forwards and backwards. She had with her all the essentials she would possible need for the week-long training camp, including her Rubik's Cube.

She had just closed the front gate when a cat approached her, his green eyes gleaming. The tom meowed.

"Good morning to you, too," Shino murmured, crouching down to stroke Keiji's soft fur. "It's been a while, Keiji." She picked him up. "I see you're still as well-fed as ever. Who else have you been mooching off?"

Keiji mewed.

Shino set down the cat. "See you next week, Keiji."

As Shino walked to school, Keiji followed her from a respectable distance, mostly travelling on the tops of fences and walls. His keen eyes watched her every move until he disappeared into a neighbor's hedge and didn't come out again.

The journey to school always took her down to a small, suburban business district, where Kindaichi's favorite bakery was located. This morning, the owner was outside her store, scribbling discounts and offers on a chalkboard display. Hearing Shino's footsteps, the woman turned and smiled.

"Good morning, sweetheart!" the lady greeted warmly. Her name was Asagi. "Where are the boys? Is it because it's not a school day?"

"Dunno," Shino replied dispassionately, giving her a lazy shrug. "They're normally waiting for me at the front of my house. I guess they must have gone on ahead or not woken up yet."

"Ah. Training camp, correct? I remember Kindaichi-kun mentioning something about that. Say, why don't you come in and I'll give you some bread? On the house!"

Shino startled. "Asagi-san, I—"

But Asagi was having none of it. She ushered Shino into her store and called, "Ami! The melonpans should be ready by now! Bring them out here for our customer! I heard that she was your tutor!"

"Yes, oba-chan!" To Shino's surprise, Suzumi Ami walked out from the backroom with a tray of freshly baked melonpan loaves. "Good morning, Iwasaki-chan!"

"Morning," Shino returned halfheartedly.

"Thank you for being my tutor. I got a hundred marks and I wasn't the only one, hehe..." Ami blushed cutely as she handled the hot loaves with care, placing two in one bag. "Here."

It was like Kindaichi had said. Sometimes, people were just kind. It was such a strange little thing. "Thank you," Shino accepted graciously, taking the warm paper bag. The bread felt plump beneath the bag, and Shino couldn't wait until she tore into her morning snack and let the chocolate chips inside the bread melt in her mouth.

"See you later!" Ami gave her a wave of farewell, a sweet smile on her face.

The bread was still very hot, and whenever she ate with Kunimi and Kindaichi, they usually walked further down the road to let the bread cool before digging in. Kunimi was the slowest eater out of all of them, claiming that the summer heat was off-putting for his digestion. So she clutched the swollen bag of bread in one hand, the food warm against her palm. She'd have time to eat it later, on the bus.

"Oi, Iwasaki."

Shino hadn't gotten far from the bakery when Kunimi found her, stalking toward her with a muesli bar in his hand. Apparently, he was having breakfast on the go today. He fell into step with her, and a comfortable silence descended upon them as well.

"Ahou," a crow cried as it landed on a tree, followed by other crows. All of them chanted at once, "Ahou. Ahou."

"Such a flat tune," Kunimi commented, raising an eyebrow at the crows. "Annoying birds."

"Ahou," the crows sang off-key. "Ahou."

"Who painted that crow...?" Shino said aloud, staring at one particularly small crow which seemed to have a streak of orange paint on its head.

Kunimi shrugged before devouring the rest of his muesli bar. "People do the weirdest things these days."

"They do," Shino agreed.

"Have you seen Kindaichi?" Kunimi asked after a while, the school coming into view. "He wasn't home for some reason. His curtains were open." Whenever Kindaichi opened his curtains, it meant that he was out.

"No, I haven't. Maybe he decided to get there earlier."

"It's not even five yet," Kunimi pointed out. "What's the rush?"  _Kindaichi values his sleep time. A lot. So what happened...?_

"Maybe you should ask him yourself," Shino said when they reached the bus bay, pointing at very sullen Kindaichi sitting on the curb. His face was contorted in a pout, his eyebrows furrowed together.

And as Kindaichi got up and marched up to them, ranting about Yuuki just as the upperclassmen started to arrive, Shino knew she was in it for the long haul.

* * *

"Okay, okay," Makki said with a grin, his hands spread out. "And then the guy says, 'Doctor, I can't feel my legs!' And you know what the doctor says? 'I know, I've cut off your arms!'"

"Oh my god," groaned Mattsun, barely able to suppress a snicker. "You're so lame."

"I second that," Iwaizumi added, though he was grinning just as wide as Makki.

"Hey, you were laughing!" Makki pointed at Mattsun, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, because it was laaammeeee," Oikawa drew out, sticking out his tongue.

"Your hair is lame!" Makki said childishly.

Oikawa gasped dramatically, putting a hand over his heart and squeezing his shirt, as if he were really having a heart attack. "M-Makki! You wound me so! It's not lame! Right, Iwa-chan?"

"Your hair  _is_ lame," Iwaizumi supplied unhelpfully.

"Iwa-chan! You're my best friend, you're supposed to agree with me!"

"Sorry, but that wasn't in the job description."

"Mean, Iwa-chan, mean!"

"I've got one!" Mattsun suddenly interjected. "What did Batman say to Robin before he got in the car? 'Get in the car'!"

Mattsun's attempt at a joke earned more groans, though Makki drowned out the long-suffering sounds by shrieking in laughter, doubling over and clutching his stomach.

"That one made no sense!" Iwaizumi complained. "How is that even funny?!"

"Because it's so stupid!" Makki wheezed, still recovering from his laughing fit. "Like you, Mattsun!"

"Thanks," Mattsun began before pausing. He frowned. "Wait—"

"Congratulations, you played yourself," Oikawa said with a smirk.

"Fuck!"

"Language!" Mizoguchi shouted from the front of the bus. Irihata chuckled at the expense of his fellow coach.

"Sorry!"

As the third years bantered, the first years were mostly gathered in their own section of the bus. A few seats in front of them were the second years, Watari Shinji and Yahaba Shigeru, while three of the non-regular third years were seated in the left aisle, toward the front. Yuda Kaneo, Sawauchi Motomu, and Shido Heisuke.

A few hours into the ride, Irihata called for quiet and announced, "We'll be reaching the training facilities soon. It's a private,  _expensive_  facility, so I expect you all to behave and  _not_ make a scene or a mess. The reason I was away for that week was because I had to get things sorted out here. The owners agreed on the condition that his daughter gets to stay with us in order to supervise."

"By stay with us," Oikawa voiced, "Does he mean all the time?"

Irihata hesitated before his jaw tightened. "Most likely, yes. But if things go in our favor, she might just leave us alone and remain indoors for most of the time."

"She'd better not be hanging off our arms," Kindaichi said when Irihata was done and the chatter resumed. "We don't need some prissy rich girl to make things hard for us..."

"Aa," Kunimi made a noise of agreement. He had one earphone in his right ear. His left ear was free to hear whatever Shino or Kindaichi had to say. "Girls belonging to rich families always bring trouble wherever they go."

"We'll see," Shino said idly, not really willing to disagree or agree with them. "Perhaps you might actually get along."

"Doubt it," Kindaichi snorted, looking out the window. Then he turned back to Shino, a sympathetic gleam in his eye. "Since you and her are the only girls, you'll probably end up bunking together."

Shino blinked. "I can't stay in the same room as you guys?"

"Of course not!" exclaimed Kindaichi, drawing some glances from the third years. "We're guys and you're... a girl."

Kunimi face-palmed. "Subtle."

"Ohoho~" Oikawa smirked at Kindaichi, giving him a sly look. "Kindaichi, are you by any chance  _after something_?"

"Not like that!" Kindaichi hissed, hiding his face behind one hand. "Don't take things the wrong way, senpai..."

"Only time will tell," Oikawa said, leaning back in his seat. "And I'm more than willing to wait to see how this plays out. You'd better hurry up, because I won't be around next year to see your inevitable happy ending. Right, Shino-chan?"

"I don't understand," Shino said simply.

"You will," Oikawa promised. "In due time. You're too good not to get a happy ending."

"Well..." Shino trailed off as the back of her head throbbed. There was probably a bruise from when she had hit her head trying to push Kindaichi's ass out of her bathroom window. "Like you said, Oikawa-san, only time will tell."

"My cute little kohai is quoting me!" Oikawa gushed, grinning. Makki rolled his eyes while Mattsun sniggered. Iwaizumi merely sighed, having grown used to his antics over many, many years. "How heartwarming, ne?"

They arrived at the facility soon after that, marveling at the sights. It was located in a more remote area of Miyagi, at the base of a mountain. The facility was large, something only the funds of a private school like Aobajosai could provide, and there was a giant, glistening lake nearby the courts and the accommodation buildings. The place was chillier as well, and those who had gotten used to the warmth that summer brought shivered when they got off the bus.

Kunimi, however, was basking in the cold, his cheeks glowing red as he put on a second jacket and wrapped a thick scarf around his neck and chin. He looked perfectly content with standing in the wind with all his layers. "Finally. No more blistering heat."

"You look like an Eskimo," Mattsun teased.

"Everyone into the assembly hall," Irihata ushered before Kunimi could respond. "Once we lay down some ground rules, you can all get comfortable in your rooms. Practice starts at twelve o'clock."

"Yes, coach!" the boys chorused.

"What do you think the girl's gonna be like?" Yahaba was asking Watari as they got settled in the small assembly hall, sitting on the carpet. Their minimal amount of luggage was pushed to the back of the room. The bags would be collected later.

"Is shy and cute the answer you want to hear?" Watari responded.

"She's a rich kid," Makki noted. "She has to be. So she could either be really shy and withdrawn, or really..."

"Bitchy?" supplied Mattsun.

"I was gonna say overbearing, but that works, too."

"Ne, Iwasaki-chan, you're going to be rooming with her, right?" said Yahaba. "Are you going to take turns doing each others' makeup or whatever?"

"You really have no idea how girls work, do you?" Iwaizumi sniped.

"Hey! I know perfectly well how girls work, senpai. They like... um... Iwasaki-chan, help me out here!"

"I like cake," Shino said dispassionately.

"Can you give me more to work with?"

"I like sweet things."

"That's even more general!"

"Melonpan," Kindaichi said abruptly. "She likes melonpan with chocolate chips inside. She likes to have a large lump of whipped hazelnut cream with her chocolate cake. Does that help?"

"I did see her eating melonpan on the bus," someone muttered, recalling how she had split it with Kindaichi and Kunimi.

Aside from that, everyone stared at Kindaichi. The boy flushed, glaring down at the carpet. "What?"

Oikawa opened his mouth to say something but Iwaizumi conked him on the head before anything sinful could escape. "Yow! Iwa-chaaan!"

"You seem to know a lot about Iwasaki-chan," Yahaba observed. "Is there something you haven't been telling us, Kindaichi? Like how you were the only one not surprised by her cute new haircut when she showed up on Monday last week?"

"I saw her on the weekend, that's all!"

"HE ADMITS IT!" Oikawa screeched, glee dancing in his eyes.

"I didn't admit anything!"

The side door opened and a petite figure walked in, her long black hair swaying behind her back as she approached them. That hair of hers was cut rather unevenly, but the look suited her. She had amaranth eyes that seemed to be perpetually drooped, and the small, musing smile on her face was cat-like.

"Afternoon," she drawled lazily, stopping in front of them and regarding them all. "So... does anyone here play Sycamore Valley Online?"

Shamelessly, Kunimi put his hand up.

"I like you," the black-haired girl declared. "As for the rest of you... I'm supposed to be laying down the law, but whatever. I only came here for one reason anyway." She lifted her finger, pointing between Kindaichi and Yahaba. "You."

Shino held the girl's gaze. "Ueno."

Oikawa looked at Shino. Then at Ueno. Then—

"EEHHHH?!" he cried, and he wasn't the only one.

Outside, some crows flew past, cawing, "Ahou. Ahou."

* * *

_"No emotions?" Ueno Konami stared at her mother, who had spent the last half hour hang-drying the very same dishcloth in order to try and listen in on the neighbor's conversation. "That's weird."_

_"Shh!" her mother hissed, a grin on her face. "Honey, you're going to give me away..."_

_"Whatever." Konami yawned. "I wanna take a nap... Later." In actuality, she sneaked around her mother and dashed over to the neighbor's place. According to the local gossip, the Iwasaki's youngest had been involved in a car accident. She had spent the last year recuperating in hospital and had only been discharged yesterday._

_"Yo," she greeted the Iwasaki husband and the Iwasaki wife from across the fence. "Mind if I come in?"_

_The couple shot each other a wary glance._

_"My mom's been listening on the other side and she's a huge gossip."_

_They hesitated, but eventually let her in._

_"How much did she hear?" Iwasaki Miho asked cautiously._

_"Whatever you've been talking about for the last half an hour," Konami answered promptly, grinning. It was at times like this where she could use her young age to her advantage. No one ever held strong grudges against children for long. And by painting her mother in a negative light, she was able to manipulate the situation to her liking. Of course, the Iwasakis might assume that she was no different from her mother, but Konami knew how to step away from the woman's shadow and effectively get on their good side. She'd been hailed a genius, after all, and her father only kept her in grade school because he felt like she needed to socialize with children her own age._

_Kido sighed. "Miho_ — _"_

_"I don't want to do this right now," Miho said harshly. "Let's go inside. Shino should be asleep by now."_

_"May I come in? I promise my okaa-chan won't say anything. I just wanna be friends. Please?"_

_"... Okay."_

_Iwasaki Shino, seven years old. Blonde hair, blue eyes, just like her mother. A girl that Konami had never spoken to. Ever._

_But there were firsts for everything, and despite the oddity that Shino was_ — _what, with her supposed apathy and all_ — _the youngest Iwasaki had made herself interesting to Ueno Konami. An academic prodigy._

_And when Konami decided that you were worth her time, you'd better be damn grateful._

_Somehow, Konami thought, she didn't feel like this brat would be grateful at all, really. Maybe because if the whole deal about her being a blank slate of feelings was true, then Konami suspected that Shino was simply not capable of a strong sense of appreciation._

_No matter. Konami would simply teach her how to use her damaged brain instead. How to observe. How to interpret. How that if a person directed their navel at someone, it meant that they liked them. How that if hands were placed in a steeple, the person was feeling confident and superior. How a micro-expression that lasted approximately 0.2 seconds could tell you many unspoken things._

_Iwasaki Shino was a mystery to Konami, and the latter loved mysteries._

_Konami smiled up at Shino's parents, completely ignoring the other blonde girl who was staring curiously at her and likely wondering why she was in their living room. Iwasaki Sayori. Eight years old. Nearly nine. Brown eyes. She didn't matter at this point in time. Maybe she would in the future. Konami didn't know. Not even geniuses could predict what was yet to happen. But Iwasaki Shino..._

_Iwasaki Shino was going to be her best friend._

* * *

_"I think," Konami confided to Shino one summer's day, a troubled look in her eyes, "She's going to commit suicide."_

_"Why?"_

_"You already know the answer to that."_

_Shino blinked at her. Konami seemed like a pretty typical fourteen-year-old at first glance, but Shino had known her long enough to know better. "Yes," she agreed slowly. "I think I do."_

_"You should run."_

_"I know." And she did, leaving Konami to stare after her, something mournful and heartbreaking in her eyes. Her warning had come too late. She was sure of it._

_Crows flew overhead. "Ahou. Ahou."_

* * *

**_A/N: TRAINING CAMP BEGINS! UENO KONAMI ARRIVES! MORE RELATIONSHIPS ARE BUILT BECAUSE YEAAAAAH!_ **

**_Ueno Konami is an OC in my other fic, Lizard Queen on FF.NET. Sycamore Valley Online is an MMORPG I made up that exists in the Haikyuu! universe._ **

**_Crows go ahou. According to Naruto anime, crows go ahou._ **

**_Ahou_** — ** _idiot or moron, more offensive than baka._**

_**We can already confirm that Sayori took her own life at this point. But it's still being unraveled.** _

_**I completed my Physics exam today... so I took the liberty to complete this chapter, kekeke** _


	15. Precious People

_**A/N: I like writing my fanfictions as animes, so I actually come up with "intros" or "outros" for them in my head. Like for Kindergarten Bully, the "outro" was "Secret Base" (the one from Anohana? Btw I never did come up with an intro for KB). If you read KB on AO3, then there's actually "Secret Base" music on the same page as the epilogue for the reader to listen to. If you read the same speed as me, it should be just the right length as well, the song ending as the reader reaches the bottom of the page.** _

_**For this fic, I also have an "outro". Namely, "Twinkle Twinkle" by Secret. I dunno, I just feel like sharing that with you guys. Now you have a glimpse of what my headspace looks like, lol.** _

* * *

Though they were still curious, the boys were forced to quell their inquisitions for now, because training camp had officially begun when they started eating lunch. For most, it was the first meal that they had had in hours, and, needless to say, feeding time was quite the snafu. They all got to work after that, some of them getting stomach cramps because they had stuffed themselves full. Thankfully, Ueno didn't interfere much with their drills and routines, though she kept her eye on Shino.

"We can talk later," she promised Shino, her hand brushing over her shoulder as she walked past.

"Must we?" Shino murmured.

Ueno stared at her, eyes calculating. "You're different."

"I am," Shino agreed easily.

Ueno circled the girl, eyebrows raised even though her eyes remained in that lazy half-mast. "Hmm... I wonder who's responsible. I'll find out."

Shino knew she would. Ueno was one of those people who would eventually know everything about everyone if given the opportunity. And the black-haired girl somehow found an opportunity all the time. The apple truly didn't fall far from the tree; Ueno's mother had been a very well-known gossip back in Shino's old neighborhood. But the main difference between her and her parent was that Ueno preferred to use information to her own advantage, not just spread it willy-nilly. Not to mention that Ueno was far better at keeping herself discreet.

"Was she bothering you?" Oikawa immediately asked Shino when Ueno disappeared somewhere. "Do we have to tell her to screw off?" While he didn't know much about their history, he could tell that their relationship was less than... stable.

"No, no," Shino assured him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "She wasn't."  _But she probably will. Maybe tonight. Or tomorrow. I can never tell with her, and I've known her for almost eight years, even if we spent the last four years not talking._

"You know, you're welcome in my room if she tries anything." Then he frowned thoughtfully, realizing just how it sounded. "Iwa-chan, Makki, and Mattsun will be there, too," he added hastily.

"I'll be fine."

The day passed quickly, and soon, it was time for dinner. Ueno was to prepare dinner for them with Mizoguchi's help. Sweaty volleyball players were steadily streaming from the gymnasium, talking loudly. As usual, Shino was beside Kindaichi and Kunimi, staring off into the distance while her friends conversed. She could hardly see anything in the brooding darkness ahead, just a large black shape that was a nearby mountain. And the lake. Oh, yes, she could see the lake as well, for it glistened under the silver moonlight. If it hadn't been so cold in this region, she wouldn't have put it past the boys to dive into the lake in wild abandon.

"Do you have any idea what we're having for dinner?" Kindaichi asked, and it took a moment for Shino to register that he was speaking to her.

She shook her head. "I wasn't involved in the preparations. You should probably ask Ueno or Mizoguchi-san if you want to know."

"It's probably for the best," Kindaichi said jokingly, thinking back on the time where she had attempted to make a single omelet. "How many eggs do you have in your fridge?"

Kunimi gave them a questioning glance, but didn't ask them to elaborate.

"Some several," Shino answered, her sleeves slipping over her fingers. "Kaa-chan's upset."

"I don't blame her."

The dining hall was big. Obviously, when they weren't here, the facility hosted much larger groups of people. They picked up their meals and sat at a single table, all of them moving naturally into their own conversations. Ueno sat herself opposite Shino, beside Oikawa. Kindaichi took a seat next to Shino while Kunimi sat on Ueno's left.

"This is good," Kunimi said, immediately going for the pudding desert.

"Thanks," Ueno said easily, flashing him one of her cat-like grins. "It's my mother's recipe."

"You're lying," Shino deadpanned as she sipped her miso soup.

"Eh?" Kindaichi stared at her, and he wasn't the only one. "How did you...?"

"Sharp as ever, I see," Ueno interjected. "I'm glad. It's been years since we last properly talked." She paused. "And that day doesn't count for me."

"It doesn't count for me either."

Ueno's smiled twitched. Then she turned her attention to Kunimi, the unspoken promise of "we'll definitely talk later" hanging through the air. "So, you like video games?"

Kunimi shrugged, returning her lazy gaze with a bored one. "Occasionally, when I have the time."

Ueno looked down the table at the line of boys. Each one of them paid her no attention, including Oikawa, who was seated next to her. "Are you in a guild for SVO?"

"Nightshade Ministry," Kunimi replied.

"Wow, nice. That's the eleventh highest ranked guild in the Japanese server."

"I haven't logged on in a while, though. Too much homework and other shit. What guild are you in?"

"Pixel Masters." Konami made a face. "It's newly formed, but we're climbing the ranks pretty quickly. The guy who formed it is this bigshot gamer in Tokyo, so he's got a lot of followers... Heh, maybe I should make my own guild..."

"Nerds," Kindaichi muttered, and Shino shot him a questioning look.

Something gleamed in Kunimi's eyes. "Oh? Then I suppose—"

Kindaichi was instantly on alert, something that further puzzled Shino. "Don't."

"—that we should all ignore the fact that—"

" _Don't_."

"—you play PuffleHuffle Ranch?"

"I WAS NINE!" Kindaichi yelled, jostling the table. "AND MY SISTER MADE ME BUY A LIFELONG MEMBERSHIP JUST TO ANNOY ME AND I DON'T WANT TO WASTE IT!"

"PuffleHuffle Ranch?" Ueno bit her lip, obviously stifling laughter. "I have a cousin who plays that game."

Kindaichi sagged slightly, relieved.

"He's three," Ueno elaborated, smirking at Kindaichi's displeased expression before standing up. She had finished all of her food, though she hadn't eaten much. Just a single rice ball. "Excuse me."

Shino's eyes followed Ueno's back out of the hall.  _Hmm..._ Something told her that Ueno wouldn't be in their shared room tonight. It was an inkling she could not ignore.

"So," Oikawa said suddenly, turning his gaze from Makki to Kindaichi. "PuffleHuffle Ranch?"

Kindaichi blushed furiously. "Please don't."

"Isn't that the game with all the cute, fluffy animals?" Mattsun said loudly, grinning at Kindaichi. "And you sell them for money or whatever?"

"Not for money!" Kindaichi shouted hotly. "We trade them for rarer animals! The rarer your pets, the more experience you gain!"

There was a brief silence as everybody regarded him with wide, questioning eyes.

Slowly, Kindaichi sank into his seat, his face still red. "... I said that aloud, didn't I?"

"Yep," Kunimi said, drinking the rest of his soup.

The chatter resumed, most of it focused on teasing Kindaichi and his 'obsession' with PuffleHuffle Ranch ("It's not an obsession, you half-wits!"). Seeing that Shino was not engaged in conversation with anyone, Oikawa shifted one seat down, into Ueno's empty chair.

When Shino looked up, he gave her a small, friendly wave. "Wanna talk, Shino-chan?"

"About what?"

"Anything," Oikawa invited.

"Ueno only ate one riceball tonight," Shino said abruptly.

Oikawa blinked slowly, processing that information. "So?"  _These days, a lot of girls want to watch their weight... Is Shino-chan concerned or something?_

"It means that she's going to eat more later in the night," Shino continued, scratching her forehead. "I wonder..."

"Her family does own the place," Oikawa reminded her. "She has the right to use the kitchens whenever she wants, so I wouldn't be surprised if she came down here for a midnight snack."

"Hmm..."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Oikawa reassured the girl.

* * *

Oikawa yawned, stretching his arms above his head, his shirt lifting slightly to expose his midriff. He had just gotten out of the showers, and was now putting on some more layers in the room he shared with Iwaizumi, Makki, and Mattsun. As he held his sweater out in front of him, he grinned at the green alien print on the blue fabric.

"That thing again?" Iwaizumi said as he came in, wearing boxers and a white shirt. His hair was damp and he had a towel slung over his shoulders. "You're such a kid."

Oikawa stuck his tongue out at Iwaizumi. "Don't be jealous just because I look good wearing anything."

"Trust me, I have nothing to be jealous about, Shittykawa. So, what were you and Iwasaki-chan talking about at dinner?"

"Oh, this and that," Oikawa said vaguely. "Shino-chan can be so cute at times. You know how she started off our conversation? By saying that Ueno-chan only ate one riceball." He laughed before slipping into his warm alien sweater. "She's a nice contrast to the girls we used to get as managers..."

Iwaizumi nodded in agreement as he put on some socks. "Yeah, she does have this likable air around her. Even if she is kind of awkward." His face flushed slightly as he remembered that she had done when he had brought her to Junko's cafe. All but stripped Junko down with her eyes and then patted her own chest in longing. "Think she'll be alright with Ueno?"

"Eh..." Oikawa trailed off. "I can't tell, actually. Their relationship is so strange, don't you think, Iwa-chan? I think they were friends once, but something happened."

"I get the same vibe from them. But both of them are so hard to read, even if Ueno seems a lot more open than Iwasaki-chan."

The brunet snorted. "Tell me about it." At some point during their conversation, he had laid down on his futon, his arms tucked behind his head. Quiet stretched between them, Iwaizumi ruffling his wet hair with his towel as Oikawa stared at the white ceiling. Curfew was soon, so Makki and Mattsun were probably going to arrive within the next ten or fifteen minutes. "Hey, Iwa-chan?"

"Yeah?" His voice was quiet; low. Iwaizumi stared at Oikawa.  _Why do I get the feeling that he's about to have a heart-to-heart with me?_

"I'm glad you're here with me."

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow. "Where's this coming from?"

"Well," he hesitated, "with Shino-chan here and all, I can't help but reminded of a person's mortality." Oikawa's eyebrows tilted upward as he gave a small, sheepish smile. "Hehe, I'm probably being an idiot..."

Something cold crawled up Iwaizumi's spine.  _Sayori. Of course._ They all knew about Sayori, 'they' being Makki, Mattsun, and him. The second years knew about her suicide, but none of them had been close enough to Oikawa to really know the details, being only first years back then. And the current first years, Kindaichi and Kunimi, had absolutely no idea of it, not unless Shino decided to tell them. Iwaizumi doubted she did, even if they had grown close. As for the other third years, well, they hadn't been very interested in Oikawa's relationships. "You're not," Iwaizumi said shortly, frowning at him. "Last year... was really hectic. But I don't want you to keep looking back on it. It wasn't a healthy relationship."

"I know."

"You'll... move on in time."

"I  _know_. I was just thinking. I should probably learn how to appreciate the precious people in my life."

"Okay, now you're sounding like a total sap. Stop it, it's creepy."

The tension was broken immediately, Oikawa grinning before his expression turned into one of absolute horror, Iwaizumi having thrown a used sock at him. "IWA-CHAN! That's gross!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Makki said cheerfully as he entered the room. "Mattsun's getting some drinks from the vending machine down the corridor. Want anything?"

"Any soda will do," Oikawa replied from his place on the futon, trying to move the dirty sock away by flicking at it with his pointer finger and thumb.

"Looks like we'll have to brush our teeth again after this," Iwaizumi murmured before adding, "Orange soda, thanks."

Makki gave them a thumbs-up before disappearing, Oikawa calling after him, "You're a legend, Makki!"

Half an hour later, they were all talking in hushed voices, the time being way past curfew. The boys had drained their sodas, and were now getting drowsy. Iwaizumi fell asleep first, knocking his empty soda can over as he plopped his head on the pillow.

"Mind putting out the trash?" Mattsun asked Oikawa, yawning.

The brunet shrugged. "I have to go to the bathroom, anyway." Carefully, he picked up all the cans. There was a bin in the same corridor as the bathrooms, and it was where he intended to throw them.

Feeling the coldness of the tiles through his socks as he padded through the dark hallway, Oikawa hurried to the bathroom, dumping the cans in the bin before using the toilet.

When he came out, the clouds had uncovered the moon and there was a silvery light twinkling in the corridor. Not really wanting to return to his room just yet, Oikawa went over to the window at the end of the corridor, where he had a good view of the lake.

As he admired the stars and the moon in the sky, something caught his eye. Smoke. And judging from its position, it was coming from the shore of the lake.  _A fire...?_ Oikawa narrowed his eyes. There was a copse of trees blocking the source of the fire, but he was certain that it wasn't a forest fire.

Mind made up, Oikawa journeyed back to his room, quietly opening the door. All of his friends were asleep. Trying to be as quick and silent as possible, Oikawa put on his shoes and exited the building.

Naturally, it was cold outside, and the boy hastened to the lake.  _Why would anyone be setting a fire at this time?_ He didn't bother being quiet as he traveled through the grove of trees, sticks cracking underneath his sneakers.

When he reached the edge of the thicket, he blinked, rubbing his eyes.  _Am I dreaming...?_ Out on the shingle, two folding chairs were set up, and two figures were sitting in those chairs. To the side, what seemed to be a pot of stew was boiling, steam rising from it. And from his vantage point, he could make out a medium-sized campfire in front of the two people.

What was more surprising was the presence of a tent to the right of the campsite. Who in their right mind would set up camp in front of the lake on such a cold evening.

One of them stood up, and Ueno's voice sounded, "I think the stew's ready. Let's eat, hm?"

Shino's voice came after her's, "Put more sauce in mine, please."

As Ueno scooped stew into a bowl, she lifted her gaze, her amaranth eyes meeting Oikawa's brown ones. She smiled invitingly. "Oikawa-kun, why don't you come out? It's warmer here, and we have enough for three."

* * *

When Ueno didn't show up in their shared room after curfew, Shino had immediately gotten up and began looking for the girl. She searched the entire building before moving on outside. It was then she saw the the smoke rising from a fire near the lake, and she had gone to investigate.

Of course, Ueno was there, warming her hands by the fire while a pot of stew bubbled not too far away. She had even gone as far as to set up a tent, and the black-haired girl was wrapped in a warm-looking shawl.

There was an empty chair set up next to where Ueno was sitting. She'd been expecting her. So Shino sat down beside her without a word. A quick glance from Ueno was all the acknowledgement the ravenette gave.

After a few minutes of staring at the twinkling stars, Ueno disrupted the silence, "So... Kindaichi, huh?"

Shino gave her a sharp glance. "I don't understand what you mean."

"He's the one who changed you," Ueno continued, closing her eyes. "You no longer seem so... lifeless. What the hell did he do that I didn't?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

"You're feeling," Ueno stressed. "I can see it, even if you can't. How? With that head trauma of yours, you should be utterly incapable of feeling emotion." She glared at the pebble shore that stretched out in front of her. "Look, Iwasaki, I know that we kind of fell apart, but it doesn't have to be that way."

Shino simply raised an eyebrow. "The majority of our friendship was you manipulating me. It has always been that way, and I didn't really see the point in continuing our rapport. If I had never received my head trauma, we wouldn't have ever known each other. I know you, Ueno. Perhaps not as well as I like to think, but well enough. The only reason we were ever friends was because you I somehow became your pet project. You saw me as nothing but a blank slate for you to fill—to build into a person that you thought was ideal."

Ueno hummed. "Is that what you think?"

"Of course. You taught me advanced mathematics at the age of eight, Ueno, for sole purpose of implementing that intelligence factor you wanted in me. You gave to me a part of yourself as well, and I think that is why I can see through underneath the underneath when it comes to you. You made yourself vulnerable when you tried to build me in your image."

"You never complained."

"I had nothing to complain about, because that was going to be as close as I got to being a person."

Ueno grimaced. "I did treat you like a robot, didn't I? And yet, you do not begrudge me?"  _I think I'm starting to see it now._

"Why would I begrudge you? You mean nothing to me."

"You don't mean that."

"I do."

Ueno sighed through her nose. "I warned you about Sayori, didn't I?"

"You told me nothing that I didn't already know," Shino snapped, that rare anger surfacing.

Ueno stared at her. "I guess I never realized how wrong I was."

"Everything about you is wrong," Shino said bluntly. "Everything you represent is a manifestation of a twisted moral compass."

"Are you really talking about morals and ethics to me? I am very aware that things I do can be less than savory at times. You don't actually care. Why bring it up?"

Shino gave her a leveled stare.

"Moving away from that," Ueno said, her voice slightly irritable. "I think I know where I went wrong with you, Iwasaki. I saw you as an object, never as a person. And that is my greatest downfall. That boy—Kindaichi-kun..." Ueno steepled her fingers. "He is different. Despite your emotionally repressed state, he treats you like a person. When I worked with you, I believed that looking underneath the underneath was the best way to go about things. I have learned my lesson."

"And what lesson is that?"

"That if you keep trying to look underneath the underneath, you'll miss what's right in front of your face. That was my mistake, and that is how I failed you as a friend." Ueno smiled distantly. "So what I'm trying to say is, I suppose, is that I am repentant. Do you forgive me, Iwasaki?"

Shino regarded her indifferently. "There was really nothing to forgive in the first place."

Ueno lowered her gaze. "That is simply proof of how badly I failed you. How cruel of you, Iwasaki." The girl laughed softly. "But again, I have only myself to blame. I would like to get to know you again, you know. This time as a person, not an object."

"No."

Ueno blinked, but didn't say anything.

"You had your chance," Shino said distantly. "Chances are fleeting, Ueno. It was you who taught me that. However..." Shino turned her gaze to the girl. "While I believe it is too late for us, you still have opportunities. You always have opportunities. Begin acknowledging people as people, and perhaps I will regard you differently the next time I see you. You will never be my friend as you are now."

"I..." Ueno's voice grew small, and Shino couldn't help but be inwardly surprised that she had managed to cow her. "I'll try."

"You do that."

"Just saying," Ueno continued, "I no longer do what I did with you. Honestly, I spend most of my time lazing around and reading manga. People are interesting, but there are so many things that can go wrong with them. Too many emotions. It gets messy. I think that's why I approached you in the first place; because you weren't supposed to have any. A smooth, clean, quick experiment. In my own way, I actually cared for you, I think. A little." She paused. "There are some people in my class that aren't complete idiots. Yachi, for one. She's okay." She breathed out, the air becoming white. "I'll stop talking now."

The two sat in silence, watching the lake lap at the shore as it tried to escape from the moon's light.

Eventually, Ueno broke the quiet again, standing up. "I think the stew's ready. Let's eat, hm?"

"Put more sauce in mine, please."

Ueno began to scoop the cooked stew into a bowl. She had nearly filled it to the brim when she noticed someone observing behind some foliage. She was about to school her face in a detached expression when she recalled what Shino had said.  _Begin acknowledging people as people._ She gave a small sigh and glanced upward, smiling in what she hoped was an inviting way. She could unconsciously mimic expressions, but rarely did she ever try to be genuine. "Oikawa-kun, why don't you come out? It's warmer here, and we have enough for three."

* * *

"This is pretty good," Oikawa complimented as he ate the first spoonful of stew. Ueno had pulled out yet another folding chair for Oikawa to sit in. It had been a little awkward at first, as Oikawa had been caught out spying on the two, but they soon all got comfortable.

"Thank you, Oikawa-kun. I bet you're wondering why we're out here, hm?" Ueno raised an eyebrow.

"I am curious," he admitted. "You know, if you wanted privacy, the building was big enough. Everyone was asleep, anyway."

"You weren't," Ueno pointed out.

He made a face. "Okay, fine, point taken. Still," he gestured to the tent, "this seems like a bit much, don't you think?"

Ueno shrugged. "I like the outdoors." She propped her chin on one hand, observing the fire. "I should get more firewood. Be right back." She disappeared into the woods with the crunch of a leaf underneath her boots.

Oikawa looked to Shino, who was quietly eating her stew in small bites. "Whatever happened between you, I'm guessing you made up?"

"I suppose," Shino answered. "We put the past behind us." She gave him a knowing look. "Perhaps you should, too."

"Now, now, Shino-chan," Oikawa said lightly. "What makes you think I haven't done that?"

"Because you have a number in your eyes."

He blinked. "Number?"

"Yes. It tells many stories. Oikawa-san, Sayori's death really was not your fault. I thought we discussed this already."

"We did," he said warily. "And I thought I was over it." Oikawa startled when he felt something warm brush against his hand. The tips of Shino's fingers. Silently, she intertwined their fingers, squeezing.

"You aren't the only affected," she murmured. "Take solace in that, if not anything else, Oikawa-san. Her fate was not a result of your shortcomings, but rather mine, and my family's."

"What?" Oikawa stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"There is... a lot you don't know."

"Then tell me." His gaze was pleading as he squeezed her small hand back. "Please, Shino-chan. I deserve to know."

She returned his gaze evenly. Then she looked into the woods behind them. There was no sign of Ueno.

Oikawa hadn't cried last time, though he very nearly did, if Shino remembered correctly. She recalled how broken his face had been when she had brought up Sayori's disorder.

When she finished her story—her's and Sayori's—he really did cry this time. He held her as well, held her tightly, as if she would be torn away from him if he let her go. She had a feeling that she would not be the last person he held like this. Because people like Oikawa—people who had so much heart and love to give, people that were unsure of how to use it—would always remember to hold their precious people the same way.

"Remember," she said softly, "I am not her."

"I know," he said fiercely. "But you're precious to me, too. To Iwa-chan, to Makki, to Mattsun, to Kunimi, to Kindaichi, to  _coach_..." The unspoken words hung in the air.  _You're family._

When Ueno returned and saw their embrace, she asked no questions.


	16. So It Goes

"You can handle a knife, right?" That was the first thing that Ueno said to Shino that morning, the latter having finished her food. She'd woken up a bit later than the boys, and, as a result, it was only her and Ueno in the dining hall.

"Yes," Shino answered, as she dumped her scraps into the scrap bin, some of her hair falling over her face. She brushed those strands of hair back as she straightened to face Ueno, waiting for her to continue.

"Good," Ueno grinned, "because we're going to make some good ol' watermelon for your boys. It's a bit warmer than usual today, so it'll be perfect." She led Shino to the refrigerator, where their bare arms were met with chill.

"Ah..." Shino blinked as Ueno picked up two watermelons and held them above her head, the melons balancing in her palms.

"Come on," Ueno said as she exited the refrigerator. "We don't have all day, Iwasaki!"

So Shino picked up a single watermelon, her arms shaking as she brought it over to the kitchen.

"Only one?" Ueno questioned, raising an eyebrow at her watermelon. "And it's small as well."

"I'm not strong."

"Yeah, I noticed. Start cutting, I'll bring the rest."

* * *

"Why is it so hot today?!" Kindaichi complained. "It was so cold yesterday and the night before..." The boys were currently taking a quick break, most of them drinking water or simply flopped on the ground. They had taken the outdoor courts today, Oikawa saying that some fresh air would be good for them.

His question went unanswered; the boys simply had no energy to spare replying. Mizoguchi, whose forehead was shining with sweat, eventually declared, "The heat will die down during the evening. If you have enough energy to complain, Kindaichi, then you have enough energy to train!" He meant to sound encouraging, but his declaration was met with some tired groans. "I mean it! Back to work, boys."

Irihata's lips quirked at the sight of the boys all but flopping back to their training, Kunimi nearly stumbling into Makki. "Have you informed Ueno-chan and Iwasaki-chan about the cookout yet?" he asked his fellow coach.

"Ah, not yet." Realization flashed in Mizoguchi's eyes. "Should I tell them now? To give them time to prepare?"

Irihata stretched his arms, wincing slightly when he felt something in his back pop. "Yeah," he bit out. "You do that, I can deal with a few sweaty youths."

In the kitchen, Ueno was currently holding a conversation with Shino, though it was mostly one-sided.

"... and then she ended up gaining three kilograms anyway," Ueno finished, rinsing her watermelon juice-drenched knife. "If she had just stuck to her normal diet, that wouldn't have happened."

"Hn."

"You know, I was supposed to be at an offline meetup with my guild today," Ueno remarked casually, setting her blade down as she turned to Ueno. "They'll be uber pissed to find out that I'm not there."

"You gave up your gaming time for this?" Shino finally turned to her.

"It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Meeting you again... honestly, it's like a dream."

"Or a nightmare."

Ueno smirked. "For you, or me?

"We should start plating up."

"For both of us, then."

They were finishing up when Mizoguchi ducked in, his face slick with perspiration. "Yo. Thought I should tell you that we're going to have a cookout on the last night of our stay. Do you think we have adequate ingredients for that kind of thing?"

"Uh oh," Ueno said, not sounding very promising. "Cookouts normally entail meat, don't they? We mostly have fish, vegetables, and tofu in the fridge. But," she added when Mizoguchi's face fell slightly, holding her pointer finger up. "There's a village nearby that can provide those things. They don't have a supermarket, per se, but they  _do_ have a butcher that sells pretty damn good meat."

"That's great," Mizoguchi said, "Which way to the village?"

"Just west of here. You can't miss it; it looks like it just came out of 1920s Alaska."

Mizoguchi sweatdropped. "That's oddly specific, but thank you for your input, Ueno-chan."

"No problem. Mizoguchi-san, do you think you could help us hand out these watermelons?"

"Ah, sure."

"How far away is the village?" Shino asked Ueno as they walked behind Mizoguchi, who was leading them to the outdoor courts.

"Hmm... by foot, around thirty minutes, including the return trip," Ueno answered, nodding slowly. "Since you're the manager, that's probably your duty, right?"

"Yes, it's very likely that I'll be the one going."

"Not just you," Mizoguchi cut in. "Normally, I'd send one of the boys, but since they're all occupied, I can come with you." He gave Shino a friendly smile. "Think of it as part of my apology for hitting you with that van..."

"What," Ueno deadpanned, her brows furrowing. "Sir, after hearing that, I'm not entirely sure if I want Iwasaki to go with you."

A tick mark slowly grew on Mizoguchi's cheek. "Oi, I'm not some criminal. Don't make it sound like that."

"I was merely showing concern for my acquaintance," Ueno said innocently, her eyebrows slanting upward to match her demeanor. "You mustn't blame me, sir."

Mizoguchi gave her a dry look. "Well, your concern is not necessary."

Shino cleared her throat lightly. "You're fine, Mizoguchi-san. I have no qualms with you accompanying me."

"Thank you, Iwasaki-chan."

It was then they reached the volleyball team, who were being ordered around by Irihata. When the coach noticed the girls plus Mizoguchi, he called them out for a break. All at once, they were swarmed, each of the boys grabbing greedily at the watermelons.

"Oi, one at a time!" Mizoguchi snapped, only to be mostly ignored.

"Thank you, Iwasaki-chan~!" Makki exclaimed through a mouthful of watermelon, a watermelon seed being fired out between his lips, nearly nailing Iwaizumi between the eyes. "Man, this is so good!"

Yahaba let out a blissful sigh when he finished his first slice before taking another. While Watari made no such noise, the look on his face was clearly one of delighted pleasure.

"Did the kitchen survive?" Kindaichi asked seriously when he and Shino were alone, Kunimi having gone back to where they had set down the plates for another slice.

Shino snorted softly. "Perhaps... Ueno was there, so there's no need to worry, Kindaichi."

"I wouldn't if you gave me a reason to, Iwasaki," the turnip-haired boy sighed. "The last time you were in a kitchen, it ended up looking like a warzone."

"You exaggerate," Shino countered rather dispassionately. "I'm not that incompetent."

"Are we discussing your culinary skills?" Kunimi said as he sat down with them, a slice of watermelon in each hand. Kindaichi tried to grab one from him but Kunimi yanked his arm away, splattering some juices on his friends as he did so. Shino merely wiped the juice from her face with the back of her hand, while Kindaichi tried to get revenge by attacking Kunimi with sticky hands. "Gross," Kunimi scolded. "Don't be greedy, you ass."

"Tsk, I'll be the one saying that the next time you drag me to a cake cafe."

"That's different," Kunimi said calmly, wholeheartedly believing in his words.

"No, it isn't!"

"Careful, Kindaichi, I might have to call up PuffleHuffle Ranch Support and have them cancel your lifelong membership."

"Fuck you, that was low."

Shino gave a small smile as she chewed on her own watermelon slice, watching them banter contently. It was something that brought her peace of mind—a sense of normality if you will. Everything was... right. Nothing was  _wrong_. Under her breath, she hummed a tune that she had memorized on her piano, a tune that only she could hear because she never played it for anyone else but herself and Sayori, when she had been alive.

"... Iwasaki? Iwasaki!"

Shino snapped to attention. "Yes?"

"I was asking if you owned any skates," Kunimi said. "Because the ones at the rink are totally trash. Not worth the money we have to pay in order to rent them."

Shino hadn't gone to the rollerskating rink since the time that she had spent there with them. Even before that, she had never gone there very often, even when Sayori was around, so there had never really been a need to buy her own skates. "I don't. Should I?"

"Yeah!" Kindaichi blurted. "Well, unless you want to keep paying for cheap skates every time we go."

"You sound certain that we'll be going again in the future," Shino stated.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Kindaichi gave her a questioning look. "Whenever we have the time, the rink is where we all go. We just haven't been going because of practice. Not to mention adjusting to our new high school lives." They  _were_ first years, after all, and they would only learn how to deal with the new workload with time.

"That and the fact that it's our senpais that normally organize team outings," Kunimi added. "But that doesn't mean we can't go on our own one day. It's fun, isn't it?" He paused, remembering something. When they had gone a few weeks ago, Shino had all but clung to the wall, her legs shaking. He was certain that he had been the only one that noticed, and she only started behaving that way after a botched move that she had attempted with Kindaichi. She had fallen onto the floor pretty harshly, but had brushed it off quickly, even telling them at the end of the night that she had had fun. And while Kunimi was sure that she hadn't been lying, he was also sure that a repeat of that incident wouldn't be so fun. "Iwasaki... you can't skate very well, can you?"

"Are you kidding?" Kindaichi immediately interjected. "Don't you remember that helicopter she pulled on me?"  _How could she not know how to skate?_

Shino stayed oddly silent.

"You didn't really pay much attention to her after that, did you?" Kunimi returned, frowning. "You didn't see how she stayed along the wall the rest of the night. She didn't even join our team conga line."

"You didn't either."

"Yeah, but only because I thought it was a total drag."

"I could skate," Shino suddenly said, lifting her gaze to match theirs evenly. "Before that day, I hadn't done it in a long time, though." Her shoulders drooped slightly. "I fell, as well. That's why I didn't try again."

"Everybody falls, Iwasaki." Kindaichi nudged her with his shoulder. "It hurts, but you won't bang yourself up too badly. Wait till you try a dive..."

She shook her head. "I suppose, besides the prospect of falling, I don't really like the environment."

Kunimi blinked in surprise. "But didn't you say you used to skate?"

"I did," she affirmed, "But not at the rink. There was this quiet little place at the local park... Essentially, it was just a concrete clearing surrounding by fencing. Most of the kids preferred the rink, so it was always just my parents, my sister and I."

"Sister?" Kindaichi echoed. "You never mentioned you have a sister."

Oikawa, who had one ear directed towards their conversation, visibly tensed.

"She died some time ago," Shino said indifferently, though she couldn't help but scratch at her bangs.

"O-oh... Sorry." Kindaichi lowered his gaze.  _Damn..._

"It wasn't your fault. Please don't apologize."

"So," Kunimi said, breaking the awkward silence. "A little place at the park, huh?"  _Looks like I have a little geography to do... what a drag..._

* * *

Mizoguchi and Shino left in the late afternoon, walking downhill to the west toward the village. True to Ueno's word, the village was certainly small, and very, very homely. Shino felt like she could have lived there for the rest of her life in a content state.

The downhill part of the journey was nice, but the trek back up wasn't as kind. By the time they reached the facilities, Shino had fallen on her knees, huffing. Her arms were shaking from the weight of the bags of meat she was carrying. Despite the fact that he was carrying even more, Mizoguchi appeared fine. Smiling slightly exasperatedly (though it was still fond) he helped her up. "Not a very sporty person, are you, Iwasaki-chan?"

"No," she managed. "No, I'm not."

"Haha, I can't imagine how you feel when you're around the guys, then. They have more energy than they should have, though it isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"I hope I didn't crush the wagyu," Shino muttered as she straightened, brushing grass and thistles off her knees.  _How troublesome would that be..._

"You know," Mizoguchi said conversationally as they settled into an easy pace back to the compound. "I'll admit, when I heard there would a female manager coming in for a trial, I wasn't exactly thrilled."

"Iwaizumi told me about that," Shino said with an understanding nod. "Apparently, this team has a bad history with female managers. He wouldn't elaborate on the potato incident, though."

A dark, ominous cloud suddenly appeared over Mizoguchi's head, and his eyes narrowed. "No one really likes to talk about the potato incident."

"Is it taboo?"

"Not exactly. It's more of an unspoken agreement between the guys. And don't bother Kindaichi or Kunimi about it—the first years weren't here when it happened." He chuckled. "Anyway, I'm just glad you're here now. You've been pretty helpful, despite your pathetic stamina."

She accepted the backhanded compliment with a grace that only she could accomplish. "Thank you, sir."

"Not to mention that you're not only here for Oikawa. And the guys are becoming pretty fond of you."

"That kind of thing is inevitable," Shino murmured. "It's a double-edged sword, really."  _I don't want them getting too attached._

"Hey." Mizoguchi stopped in his tracks, causing Shino to stop as well. "Don't say that kind of thing. You wouldn't say it to Kunimi or Kindaichi, would you?"

"Well..." No, no she wouldn't. She would  _never_ say such a thing to them, for two reasons. One, she was too far in when it came to their relationship. She wouldn't call it a fatal mistake, but there was no going back. And two, she cared too much for them. It might have sounded like the same thing—heck, it probably was—but there was a division between the two reasons in her mind. "Of course not."

"There you go. Don't be so fatalistic. It's not becoming of a young lady like you." His voice took a more lighthearted tone. "It's okay to form relationships with others. Never let it be said that it isn't." His stance grew slightly awkward as he lifted his hand and held it over her head. "You... mind?"

She was slightly confused as to what he meant but she said, "No."

Shino blinked in shock when she felt his warm hand palm her head before ruffling her hair. It was a nice feeling, she had to admit, and certainly not unwelcome.

"It's a friend thing," Mizoguchi said when Shino kept quiet. "Don't worry too much about it. Whenever someone's feeling sad, I guess it's just a habit of mine. Mostly, it's my kid nephew that's on the receiving end, but..." The coach shrugged. "So it goes, right?"

"Yeah... So it goes."

* * *

_**A/N: That rollerskating thing... I can't wait to write that in, honestly. It's something I've planned out in my head and can't wait to execute.** _

 


	17. Summer Dreams

"Ugh, it's wiggling everywhere!" Yahaba shrieked as Watari held a frog up to his face, the brunet boy's visage twisting into a disgusted expression. "Get that thing away from me, Watari!"

It was the last day of training camp, and they decided to spend their afternoon break by the lake, seeing as it was almost as warm as it had been during their second day. Most of them had stripped down to their shorts and jumped into the water body without a care in the world, but some, like Yahaba, preferred to be on dry land. Too bad Watari insisted on teasing him relentlessly about his avoidance to amphibians.

"It's so slimy!" Yahaba wailed when Watari refused to remove the frog from his vicinity. At that, Watari did pull the frog away from the other boy, an affronted look on his face. He seemed to be indignant on behalf of the frog.

"It's not slime!" Watari amended vehemently. "It's mucus!"

"That's even worse!"

"It needs to be kept moist!"

"That's what she said!" Makki called, half-submerged in the lake, cringing when Oikawa tossed an armful of water at him. "Oi, cut it out, bastard! You wanna fight or something?"

"Me and Makki versus you and Iwaizumi!" Mattsun followed with a challenge, eyebrows wriggling. "Or are you too chicken?"

"Chicken?" Iwaizumi echoed, a dark look shadowing his eyes. "In your dreams. Hey, Asskawa, let's knock 'em dead!"

"Gladly!" Oikawa chimed, smirking.

Iwaizumi's eyes narrowed when Mattsun submerged himself even further, allowing Makki to settle on his shoulders. "Oh, so it's this kind of battle."  _First to knock the person on top off wins._

Makki and Mattsun immediately began to cluck.

"Hrr, shut up! Hurry the hell up, Bakawa, and get on."

"I knew you loved me, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa gushed, climbing on top of Iwaizumi's shoulders.

"Shit, you're heavy."

"Oi! Rude!"

"Can't handle one?" Mattsun mocked, and Iwaizumi rolled his eyes at the third year's attempt to flex. "We could do teams of three if you're game."

"There's no way you can carry another person!" Iwaizumi exclaimed. "You're not goddamn Spiderguy, Mattsun. You're going to mess up your back, and I guarantee you, if that happens, I'm going to beat the living shit out of you."

"I could if it was one of the girls," Mattsun insisted, and Oikawa's smug expression transformed into one of curiosity.

"Hmm, I wonder..." Oikawa trailed off, musing as he tilted his head skyward.  _I wonder if Shino-chan or Kona-chan would be up for it?_ Both weren't exactly tall or heavy, judging from appearance alone, so he was sure that they could all handle the extra weight. It wasn't as if Oikawa hadn't carried around one of his smaller consorts on his shoulders before.

"Oi!" Makki called to the shore, where Shino and Ueno were, the former reading a book under an umbrella on the shingle, the other suntanning on a beach towel, a pair of over-sized sunglasses on her face. "You two wanna come? We could use extra teammates!"

Ueno sat up languidly, stretching her arms up in the air and yawning, her shades slipping down her nose. "What's in it for us?"

"You get an adrenaline kick," Oikawa replied, voice raised so that the girls could hear him.

"Alright, I'm in." Ueno stretched again, her whole body this time. Then she removed the robe she was wearing, revealing a modest one-piece swimsuit, which had been dyed a lovely midnight blue. "Iwasaki, get your lazy ass up, hm? I think your boys are feeling a little frisky today."

Shino barely glanced up from her book. "I'm fine."

"Oi. Don't make me go out there alone. They're your teammates, not mine. Karasuno's volleyball is sure hella overzealous if all the times I walked past the gym is any indication... but at least they're not a foreign team. Chop chop, Iwasaki!" She clapped her hands, and Shino frowned before looking up from her novel again.

"I said no. Don't tell me what to do, Ueno."

"I'll stop telling you what to do if you stop being such a killjoy."

Shino's frown deepened before she relaxed, remembering something. "I didn't bring any swimwear. So I can't, anyway." Confident that she had won and avoided getting wet, she settled back comfortably into her chair, the umbrella hiding her face from the bright sun.

Ueno let her face fall before she smirked, mischief sparking in her eyes. "Y'know, I happen to have an extra swimsuit in my bag... What a coincidence, hm?"

"... Yes, what a coincidence..."

"Up and at 'em! I'll hold the towel while you change."

"What?!" Shino's eyes lit up in alarm ever so slightly. "I... Can I at least go back inside?"

Ueno gestured to where the boys were standing in the water. Makki was no longer stacked on Mattsun, the same with Oikawa and Iwaizumi. "Don't want to keep them waiting! Don't be such a kid, no one's gonna see."

Grimacing, Shino relented, curling one strand of hair behind her ear. "I—fine. Please... don't drop the towel."

"You can trust me."

 _Can I?_ Shino's question went unasked as she began to strip, Ueno protecting her virtue with the towel that she had been sunbathing on earlier. Once Shino was stark naked and shivering despite the sun's warmth, she said, "The swimsuit?"

"Ah, about that..." Ueno glanced over at her gym bag. There was no way she would be able to fish the swimsuit out without letting go of the towel. "We might be stuck here for a while, unless pretty boy and bald kid over there decide to stop being such kids."

"Ueno..."

"Sorry I can't predict  _everything_."

Shino wasn't fooled. Ueno was far too smart to not have considered this outcome. Irritated as she was, she failed to think up of the most obvious solution: wrapping the towel around herself while Ueno fetched the swimsuit. "I'm putting my clothes on again."

"No, wait! I think our savior has just arrived."

Shino turned to where Ueno was glancing around her head, eyes widening slightly when she saw who was coming down the forest trail. Kindaichi, holding a tray of lemonade in his hands.  _Kindaichi? How irritating; of course it had to be him._ She wasn't entirely sure why, but she would have preferred it be anyone else except him walking down that pathway, with that silver tray in his hands. It was strange. She felt closer to him than anyone else, even Kunimi, but for Kindaichi to be catching her in such a vulnerable state... Shino shook her head. No, that didn't sound good at all.

It was far too intimate for her taste.

"Kindaichi-kun!" Ueno called. She would have waved had it not meant Shino having her lady bits exposed. "A little help here?"

Puzzled, Kindaichi set the lemonade tray down on a nearby circular table. "What is it?"

"Ehehe... It's a long story. Well, not really, but I don't think you would like to hear it. All we need you to do is go through my sports bag and get that cute bikini in there."

"What?!"

"Bikini?" Shino deadpanned at the same time. "You lie."

"You got me. Don't go all faint on me now, Kindaichi-kun; both of us could really use your services right about now. Especially Iwasaki."

"R-right, gimme a minute..." Kindaichi's face was set in an embarrassed scowl as he sorted through the items in Ueno's bag, his face growing even more red than it already was when he discovered a black one-piece swimsuit with white lining. "... Is it this one?"  _Dumbass!_ he silently berated, wanting to hit himself on the head.  _Of course it is, what else could it be?!_

"Duh." Ueno grinned at him, her cat-like mouth taunting. "Toss it over here. Wouldn't want Iwasaki to stand here naked all day, would you?"

"Naked?!"

"Ueno!" Shino reprimanded sharply, that rare anger flaring up again. "That's enough."

"Kill. Joy." Huffing, Ueno passed the swimsuit over the towel.

A few moments later, Shino gave her permission for the towel to be dropped, ignoring the fact that Kindaichi was looking at anything else except her, having taken an unnatural interest in the frog hopping away from Watari.

 _He does not have many girls in his interaction circle,_ Shino reasoned.  _It is only natural for him to be flustered. I can only hope that it doesn't ruin the day._ She was hardly aware that she was staring at him until he turned his head to meet her gaze, blinking slowly. She felt her cheeks warm under his scrutiny, and couldn't help but be surprised at the feeling. It wasn't an unpleasant one, per se, so she didn't voice her concerns.

Ueno snapped her out of her trance by grabbing her wrist and dragging her into the cold lake, the chill biting Shino's toes as she allowed Ueno to lead her to where the third years were at. Her body would adjust to the cold soon; she could already feel herself getting warmer.

As they began to stack themselves up again, Kindaichi sighed on the shore, sitting on the chair that Shino had been occupying prior to  _that_ mini disaster. He took a glass of lemonade from the tray, giving a halfhearted greeting to Watari and Yahaba when they came by to pick up their own glass of the sour-sweet liquid confectionery.

When he was alone again, he slumped in his seat, palming his face with both hands when the umbrella wouldn't cover the bottom of his face because he was sitting too low.

_That was mortifying._

"You look like someone just killed your dog."

Kindaichi sat up abruptly at the sound of Kunimi's naturally listless voice. His best friend had also been on lemonade courier duty, and his hands were occupied with a tray of lemonade glasses and a pitcher.

"I don't have a dog, so it's even worse," Kindaichi groaned.

"Talk."

"Don't wanna."

"Then don't."

"... Is this what people call reverse psychology?"

Kunimi shrugged infuriatingly, inwardly smirking at Kindaichi's wary look. "You tell me."

"... I'm being weird around Iwasaki."

"Hm..." Kunimi gave an annoying monosyllabic answer.  _How do I break it to him? That he might just have a crush on Iwasaki?_ "Hormones." Well, that was one way. "It's natural for a guy your age to be experiencing attraction to a female counterpart. It's normally a fleeting kind of thing. Basically, you want to have sex with her."

"What?! That's not it at all!" Kindaichi vehemently denied, glaring hatefully at Kunimi. "I'm not some horndog like—" He shut his mouth then.

"You were going to say Oikawa-senpai, weren't you?"

"Well, I'm not  _wrong_..."

Kunimi shook his head. "Man, you're impossible. Just don't be weird around her. It's not that hard." It was too bad that Kunimi had never experienced much attraction in his life, otherwise Kindaichi could have actually received great advice, as Kunimi normally gave advice based on his own experiences.

"You're no help."

"That's your problem, not mine. Now shut up and drink your lemonade. I don't care if the amount remains the same; the melting ice and the rising water level is making me antsy."

Tossing him one last look, Kindaichi chugged the rest of his lemonade like an alcoholic would do with his beer, wiping his lips with the back of his hand after.

Out in the lake, they seemed to be having the time of their lives.

* * *

Ueno shrieked when Shino finally managed to push her off, leaving only Makki and Mattsun in the opposing team.

"NO, UENO-SAN!" Mattsun mourned. "How could you, Iwasaki-chan?!"

"All's fair in love and wall!" Oikawa proclaimed, moving his body in such a way that Shino nearly toppled off.

"Oi, stop moving around like that!" snapped Iwaizumi. "You're going to make me—" Something wrapped around his ankle and pulled, making him holler and lose his footing. Shrieking, Oikawa flailed his arms in the air, grabbing at Makki, who was busy trying to decide whether to laugh hysterically or stare in shock. Oikawa's fingers looped around Makki's wrist just as he lost his center of balance, pulling the strawberry blonde down with him.

Shino, who had been on top of Oikawa, merely sighed inwardly as she her entire body splashed into the water. Eventually, Ueno resurfaced, gasping and grinning, her hair plastered to her face.

"Got you!" she crowed, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. "You thought that I was out of the game, hm?"

"Cheater!" Oikawa accused.

"What happened to 'all's fair in love and war'?" Mattsun mocked.

"Enough," Iwaizumi sighed, though he was unable to keep a grin off his face. "Who wants lemonade?"

They all agreed unanimously at the notion of lemonade, and waded back to shore, where Kindaichi, Kunimi, and Watari and Yahaba were.

* * *

The moon was high in the air tonight, half-covered by drifting clouds, sending uneven rays of light upon the great lake. The mountains surrounding the area were all but great lumps of black against the navy sky.

There was a sizzle as Iwaizumi tossed a strip of beef onto the barbecue, a pair of tongs in one hand, a bowl of uncooked meat to his left. There were an assortment of meats on the grill, and Iwaizumi had been voted to cook, Oikawa vehemently insisting that Iwaizumi knew his way around barbecuing meat.

"This is so good!" Kindaichi declared as he ripped some meat off a skewer with his teeth that had come from the last batch. "Have you tried some, Shino?"

"Ah, no. I'm waiting for Iwaizumi to finish."

"Take some from the bottom."

She nodded, and used her fingernails to pinch the succulent meat near the bottom of Kindaichi's skewer, pulling it off. There was a caramelized onion stuck to it, and she popped it into her mouth happily. "You're right, it's good."

"Told you. Want to join the others?" Kindaichi gestured to where some boys were sitting around a campfire, exchanging conversations. Without waiting for her to answer, he led over to them. "Hey."

"Hey," some of them returned halfheartedly, scooching over on their log seats to make space for them. It had taken all of their combined efforts to drag three medium-sized logs out of the forest and onto the shingle. Ueno, however, was sitting in her own folding chair, and looking smug about the luxury.

"So," Oikawa said, having stopped staring at Iwaizumi and silently goading him to hurry up. "Ready to crush Karasuno?"

There were a few groans at that.

"It's not just Karasuno!" Makki reminded him, shaking his head. "Don't forget about Date Tech and Shiratorizawa, idiot."

"Of course not," Oikawa scoffed, "I just feel like clipping a few wings first..."

Somehow, the conversation ended up being about each of their dreams, something that Irihata encouraged them to discuss. By now, most, if not all (Iwaizumi was cooking the last batch of meat) of them were sitting around the campfire. Ueno seemed tempted to pull a guitar out of nowhere just to complete the mood.

"Dreams, huh?" Oikawa mused, crossing one leg. "Well, right now, my dream is to make it to Nationals before graduation. And then become a world-famous astronaut."

"His goals can be pretty one-tracked," Iwaizumi said as he arrived with a plate of meat that he distributed to the others. "But he's fickle. No doubt that it'll change soon." He paused. "My dream is to become an archaeologist."

"Ye of little faith," sniffed Oikawa.

"Well, my dream is to become psychologist, I suppose," Ueno chimed in, scratching her cheek. "Although, it's more of a preferred career choice than a dream. Ne, Mizoguchi-san, was your high school dream to become a high school volleyball coach?"

Mizoguchi was tempted to whack the girl upside the head for her insolence but refrained from doing so. "No," he said shortly. "I was going to go professional, but..." Nobody pressed the issue when he trailed off. The tension that had built up was diffused, however, when Mizoguchi picked up his clipboard, which he seemed to carry everywhere with him, and tapped Ueno on the head with it.

"What was that for?"

"For thinking about bringing up my status as a middle-aged man."

Ueno snorted. "Don't think you know me so well..."

"What about you, Kunimi?" Iwaizumi asked the first year.

"A chef."

Everybody sat up straighter at that, save for Shino, who was looking upward at the stars, past the smoke that rose from the fire in front of her.

"I want to become a pastry chef," Kunimi went on, ignoring the looks he was getting. "Though I'd probably end up eating the ingredients before actually making anything..."

Kindaichi laughed. "'Course you would. Your sweet tooth can be ridiculous at times..."

"Well, what's your dream?" Kunimi shot back, giving him a sideways glance.

"Easy, to be the best volleyball player I can be and not end up living in a cardboard box," Kindaichi retorted, crossing his arms triumphantly. "And crushing The King in a match, wouldn't be so bad, but that's more of a side goal. Iwasaki?"

Shino turned her gaze to him. "Hm...?"

"What's your dream?" Mattsun asked.

"My dream..." Shino stared at her hands, which were pale from the cool night air.  _My dream? I've never been asked that question before. What should I say?_ She took in each and every one of their curious expressions, deliberating her answer as she did so.  _My dream..._

_"I love him so much!" Sayori declared happily, a blush of pure exhilaration on her cheeks. "He makes me feel special and he feels the same way about me. That's the greatest gift you can give anyone, Shino: love. And I'm the luckiest girl in the world. I know you don't know how to feel like that, but I want you to! It's the best feeling in the world."_

"I want to fall in love," Shino eventually replied. She was very, very tempted to add "I think", but chose to stay silent.

Oikawa was the first to recover from that bombshell. "Ah, what a romantic! Shino-chan really does have a soft, girly side, ne?"

"That's..." Kindaichi trailed off. "Very generic of you. Sometimes I forget that you're a girl." Though today's towel incident certainly reminded him, but no, stop he didn't need to think about that embarrassing disaster—

"Don't be rude," Iwaizumi admonished.

Kindaichi blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way—"

"It's okay." Shino shrugged. "I suppose it is generic. And I don't think it'll ever happen, anyway."

"Right..." For some reason, Kindaichi didn't like the sound of that. "Well, despite that, I hope your dream comes true." The chattering of the others turned into background noise to Kindaichi's ears; he focused purely on Shino's response.

"Thank you. I hope yours comes true as well."

They simply stared at each other, an understanding developing between them, until Oikawa lifted his glass of lemonade up in the air. "A toast, everyone! To our dreams and all the frickin' awesome things we're going to achieve in the future!" There were a few laughs at that, and Oikawa grinned widely.

Just to humor him, the guys complied, putting their glasses together, the majority of them being empty. Kindaichi and Shino were the last the join them.

"To our dreams!" they all echoed, their glasses clinking.

As they sat back, Kindaichi exhaled from his nose, relaxing with a small smile on his face. "To my dreams..."  _And Iwasaki's, too,_ he silently added.

* * *

_That note wasn't the only thing she left behind. There was a cassette recorder, too, explaining why._

_Shino found that she did not like listening to any sort of explanation relating to_ that _, but she could not help but wonder how hard it could have been for Sayori. It hadn't been Shino willingly parting from her love ones, after all._

_As the recording ended, the cassette spluttered and clicked._


	18. Interior Decorating

Shino simply stared up at Najimi as the brown-haired girl did a 'nice-guy' pose, declaring, "And that's how you make the perfect squid balls!" The blonde girl's gaze was not as impassive as usual, and there was a dash of curiosity in her blue eyes.

It was a cloudy Monday morning at Aobajosai, and the students in class 1-5 were enjoying the time they had before their form teacher (who also happened to be their demonic math teacher) arrived, most of them up and about. Shino was sitting at her desk, Najimi sitting  _on_ the blonde's desk with Ami, who sat near the front, positioned diagonally across Shino, listening in.

"Maa, maa, Najimi," Ami appeased when she sensed that Najimi was going to start vehemently ranting about how squid balls were the best food in the world. "Some people don't like that much sauce with their squid balls."

"Eh?! Those kinds of people are evil!" Najimi deflected.

Ami immediately wilted, a comical depression cloud forming above her head. "I'm not evil..."

"Argh, I didn't mean you!" Najimi palmed the sides of her head frantically.

Shino's phone buzzed, and the girl shifted her attention from Najimi and Ami to check the text she had received.  _Yet another photo from Ueno... Somehow, she managed to find the time to take a shot of each Holy Mountain..._

Kindaichi, who sat in front of her, turned around in his seat, breaking out of casual conversation with Kunimi. "Is it Ueno-san again? What did she send you this time?"

Shino turned the phone screen to them. "All three Holy Mountains."

Kunimi nodded appreciatively. "Nice. But when did she find the time...?"

Shino shrugged. "Somehow, she always manages to find time for everything." She swiped through her gallery, the first fifteen photos being nature shots from Ueno. "For a lazy bum, she sure enjoys breaking the stereotype and being outdoors."

But Kindaichi wasn't interested in hearing about Ueno's escapades. He seemed to be more invested in Shino's pastel blue phone case. "You know," he started. "Your phone looks pretty plain. Most of the other girls have a phone charm. Why don't you get one?"

"I suppose it never occurred to me," Shino answered honestly, eyeing her phone. While she didn't really care for the appearance of her phone, a little decoration never hurt anybody. "What kind of charm were you thinking of?"

"Maybe something you like?" Kunimi suggested.

"Get a squid ball one!" Najimi interjected, gaining an annoyed look from Kunimi. The two never really did get along after the former accused the latter of being a mechanophile and the latter accused the former of being an idiot. Now, they mostly dealt with their mutual dislike by pointedly ignoring one another as much as they could. But the snark couldn't help but rear its ugly head at times.

"Wasn't asking you," Kunimi grouched. "Troublesome girl."

"Shut up, you nerd, I'm just trying to be helpful."

"Cake," Kindaichi said before his best friend and the upbeat Najimi could get into a hot-and-cold war. "Why don't you get a cake charm?"

"Perhaps..." Shino trailed off, becoming lost in thought.

"Are we still on for rollerskating next week?" Kunimi piped when it became clear that Shino had no more to say on the topic of phone charms. Najimi peeked up with interest at the mention of rollerskating.

"Oh, Najimi, you do ice skating, don't you?" Ami recalled, tapping her chin. She had recovered from her depression cloud. "It's a bit like rollerskating, isn't it?"

"More like roller _blading_ ," mumbled Najimi. Rollerskates had four wheels arranged in a similar configuration as a car's wheels would be, while rollerblades only had line of wheels, just like how ice skates had one single blade.

"I don't see why not." Shino's response wasn't exactly promising, but the boys knew she would be there.  _The rink is too loud for my tastes, but if they really want me to go with them, then I guess I can put up with it._

"Great!" Kindaichi said a little too cheerfully for it to be normal. "See you next week, then!"

She looked mildly confused. "We aren't walking home together anymore?"

Kindaichi must have mistook her bewildered voice for hurt, and he quickly supplied, "Just for this week! Kunimi and I... have lots of homework."

"I can help you," Shino offered.

Kunimi shot Kindaichi a sideways glance and the latter boy swallowed nervously. "It's... outside homework! Really hard! Too hard for you!"

"If it's too hard for me, then you must be getting nowhere with it at all," Shino pointed out in that cold, calculating way of hers.

Kindaichi sweatdropped, the indirect insult to his intelligence stinging. "So blunt... Anyway, this is just... a guy thing?"

The questioning lilt at the end of his sentence made Kunimi twitch and Najimi narrow her eyes in suspicion.

In the end, Kunimi sighed. "Iwasaki, what we're doing is related to the male physiology. You can't come with us."

Najimi snorted as Ami blushed at the vague implication. "I knew you were a pervert..."

"I've never heard of such a thing," Shino said cautiously, well aware that they were trying to avoid her.  _I'll let them be for now. They must have a good reason for doing this._ "But such things can't be helped. We can still see each other at practice, anyway." There was still that, thankfully, as the boys both nodded affirmatively. She didn't know when it had happened, but somewhere along the way, she had come to enjoy their company very much. The steadfast, calm, and reliable Kunimi and the outspoken, bold, and fierce Kindaichi made for excellent companions.

Hashimoto-sensei arrived just as everybody sat down (they could all hear his large feet stomping on the outside hallway as he approached).

As attendance was marked, Najimi nearly missed her name being called, too focused on the back of Kunimi's head.  _What are these two up to? Whatever it is... I want in!_

* * *

Kurokawa Najimi was not a very patient person, nor did she have an overly long-lasting attention span. Her siblings oftened teased her for having the memory of a goldfish, and claimed that it was a miracle that she had been sorted into a college prep class when they hadn't expected her to pass the entrance exams at all.

Which was why it wasn't surprising when, instead of stalking Kindaichi and Kunimi to wherever they were headed to, she ended up taking a detour to the local book shop and cafe for a snack.

Ami wasn't with her today, having her cooking club commitments to attend to.

"Curses," she mumbled as she noisily slurped her noodles, comical tears running down her cheeks. "Foiled again by my crappy memory!"

The local book store was also a cafe, and it was the hangout of many students, including Najimi. Most were girls after romance novels, but there were those that hung around just because Oikawa Tooru was rumored to pop up from time to time.

Najimi finished her noodles with a content sigh, placing her chopsticks down on the tray before bringing it over to the shopkeeper. She had paid prior to receiving the meal, so she headed for the exit, determined to make it home before sunset and get some homework done. Kindaichi and Kunimi's after-practice activities would have to wait another day.

"Ah, sorry," Najimi apologized when she accidentally bumped into someone on the way out. "Eh? Iwasaki-chan?"

"Good evening, Kurokawa-san," Shino returned politely. There was sweat on her forehead, and Najimi inferred that Shino had been running around all afternoon, fulfilling her duties as manager of the boy's volleyball team. "Lunch?"

"Yep. They serve wicked good ramen here. What about you?"

"I'm just here to pick up dinner for my father and I." Her eyes drifted to a shelf full of knickknacks. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, cya."

Najimi could help it as Shino went further inside the store, lurking around the shelf of knickknacks. Feeling a little guilty, Najimi watched her from the window, making sure that even though she could see the blonde, Shino couldn't see her.

Shino grabbed something from the shelf and brought it closer to her face. A phone charm. Najimi felt like smacking herself in the face for not realizing it sooner.  _Of course! She and the guys were talking about her getting a phone charm this morning! Ugh, I'm so dumb..._ But any self-deprecating thoughts were quickly tucked away when Shino picked up another trinket. A second phone charm.

Najimi tilted her head one side, curious. The first one she had taken was a chocolate cake, while the second one was a melonpan. She seemed to be deciding between the two. In the end, she went with both and disappeared from Najimi's line of sight, heading to the cafe section of the store.

There was no reason to stick around anymore, so Najimi went home, making a mental checklist in her mind that looked a little something like this:

_1\. Do homework_

_2\. Dinner_

_3\. Set reminder on phone to follow the boys to who-knows-where despite it not being my business_

_4\. Sleep_

Najimi was at home and had skipped steps one and two and was well on to three and four when Shino emerged from the store, carrying a box of hot food in her hands. The first batch had been accidentally burnt by the sleep-deprived chef, who had swiftly offered to replace the meal without any extra charge.

In a separate, brown paper bag were the two phone charms she had bought with her allowance. She hadn't been able to decide which one to get. Cake and melonpan were both foods that she was fond of.

"Maybe," she thought aloud as she walked home, the charms letting loose muffled jingles in the bag. "I'll give one to Kindaichi." It was his idea, after all, even if he had worded it a little condescendingly. But that was just Kindaichi; it couldn't be helped.  _I'll give him the melonpan,_ she decided, opening the small bag and taking out the charm to admire it under the street lights.  _Since it seems to be one of his favorite foods._

"Iwasaki!" Kindaichi's familiar voice echoed somewhere behind her, and she could hear footsteps pounding on the pavement as somebody ran.

Then an arm hooked around her and she fell backwards into Kindaichi's warm chest, the phone charms and food nearly flying out of her hands. She barely had any time to comprehend what had just happened before a truck swooped around the corner, passing the spot that she had been standing in just moments before.

"You idiot!" Shino was vaguely aware of Kindaichi attempting to scold her, relief evident in his voice. "You need to look both ways before you cross the road!" He pulled away from her, looking her up and down. "You're not hurt... right?" He forced his eyes to meet hers, a slight blush that was hidden in the dark on his face. "Don't do that again. Next time, you really will get hit and you'll split your skull open."

"Sorry." She refrained from telling him that she had already been knocked over by Mizoguchi's van this term. Not to mention that her skull had certainly  _felt_  like it had been split open when she had landed on the hard concrete. "Where's Kunimi?"

"He went home early since it's his turn to cook tonight." He let loose a sigh. "What were you even thinking about that got you so distracted?"

Shino's hand clutched tighter around the melonpan charm. "Nothing. Don't worry about it. We all space out every now and then." Hastily, she fumbled to put it back into the paper bag with the cake charm, the bag containing the box of food swinging on her arm. Now would not be a good time to present the melonpan charm. He would probably only accuse her of trying to bribe him out of lecturing her on road safety. Kindaichi was odd like that.

"Yeah, and some do it more than others," Kindaichi shot back, his eyebrows tilted upward in mild exasperation. "Seriously, don't do it again."

"I heard you the first time, don't worry."

"Yeah, well, I was just making sure. Wouldn't want you to kick the bucket before..."

"Before what?"

"Gah, never mind! You'll find out next week!"

"Does it have anything to do with your male physiology tuition homework?"

"Huh? Er, I mean, yep, it sure does!"

Shino gave him an unimpressed stare. "You're a terrible liar."

"... I know. But just hold out a little longer, okay?" He sighed again, voice growing softer. "It's worth the surprise, promise."

She raised an eyebrow. "If you say so." Just then, they reached her house. "This is my stop. Later, Kindaichi."

"Yeah." Kindaichi watched her open the gate and walk the pebble pathway to her front door. "Later."

* * *

"So  _this_  is what you were doing!"

Najimi's incredulous voice made Kunimi groan in annoyance. What was she doing here?

It was now late Friday afternoon; it had taken Najimi nearly four days to remember that she was supposed to have been stalking Kunimi and Kindaichi. The boys were in the middle of a fenced concrete pad, trying to hang up yellow Christmas lights of all things on the surrounding fence as well as the small trees.

"Kurokawa-san?" Kindaichi stopped trying to connect the chords together. "What are you doing here?"

"Her nose was too big to not stick itself into our business, I'll bet," Kunimi muttered dryly. If Najimi heard, she valiantly ignored the remark.

"I was just curious why you were avoiding Iwasaki-chan so hard." Najimi smiled wryly. "Speaking of which, what  _are_  you doing?"

Kunimi had a very scathing retort on his tongue involving Najimi's mother but refrained from saying it. "Oh, you know. Interior decorating," he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he lifted his arms up to gesture at the trees.

"Can it, metal-man. I wasn't talking to  _you_."

"It's for Iwasaki," Kindaichi admitted when it became clear that Najimi wasn't going to leave without a satisfactory answer. "We want to recreate some of her better childhood memories."

"I... Wow, that's actually so sweet." Najimi placed her hands on her hips, grinning. "Can I help?"

Something changed that day, between the three of them. Kindaichi and Najimi had never talked much in the past, save for their after class tutoring sessions with Shino all those weeks ago, but they got along well enough. Kunimi and Najimi never quite warmed up to each other, but they weren't actively trying to bring down one another with each sentence anymore. And where Najimi was, Ami would follow soon enough.

They weren't exclusively friends, per se, but the gap between them had certainly lessened.

"You know," Najimi would say at a Korean barbecue fourteen years later, "I'm glad we kissed and made up in the past, because it'd be hella awkward to do it now."

* * *

_**A/N: Strap on your rollerskates for the next chapter! Also, Pochi the dog and Keiji the cat make more appearances.** _

_**Hopefully. I can never make promises because I'm very bad at keeping them.** _

_**R &R~!** _


	19. Smooth Sailing

_Shino watched with awe as Sayori swept across the smooth concrete, an ethereal being in her younger sister's four year old eyes. Shino's eyes were pale and watery (not to mention wide) as she admired her sister from the other side of the metal barrier._

_A hand descended upon Shino's blonde head and ruffled her hair, making the little girl scrunch her nose up. "Otou-san!"_

_"Hey, sport." Kido knelt down so that he was almost at eye-level with Shino. "Why don't you join your sister over there?"_

_"... Don't wanna."_

_"Why not?" Miho wondered. "Are you scared of falling, Shino-chan?"_

_Shino bit her lip, her eyebrows knitting in a frown. Then she rubbed her nose, pouting. "No."_

_"I know you're lying!" Sayori cheerfully called from a few feet away before skating up to the fence and leaning over it to poke Shino's nose. "You always rub your nose when you lie!" Seeing Shino's indignant expression, Sayori held her arms up in surrender before proceeding to remove her skates. "Our feet are about the same size, Shino-chan! Why don't you try? I'll hold your hand!"_

_"R-really? B-but..."_

_Sayori chose to be deaf to Shino's protests, and their parents did nothing but sit on a nearby backless marble bench and watch them, amusement dancing in their eyes._

_Shino had about as much grace as a newborn giraffe, and she relied heavily on her older sister as she shuffled her way around the makeshift rink. Sayori's grip on Shino's hand was firm, which greatly relaxed the younger girl, though she was still tense at the prospect of falling. An image of Sayori gliding around made itself known in Shino's mind, and determination filled her. She scuttled back to the fence, tugging Sayori with her._

_"Shino-chan?" Sayori said questioningly._

_"I'm going to skate to the other side, nee-chan!" Shino proclaimed. "Watch!" Then, with some reluctance, she released Sayori's clammy hand and, with wobbly legs, made her way across the rink. She fell on her knees on a few times, but instead of crying, she soldiered on. Eventually, she did it, and Sayori clapped excitedly._

_"You're so smart, Shino-chan! And brave! Let's ask kaa-chan to buy you some skates so we can skate together!"_

_Shino beamed. "Okay!"_

* * *

_"This is Naoko-chan. Her parents are locally famous musicians. Be nice, Shino-chan..."_

_Shino was about as unimpressed as a five year old could be. She thought of herself quite highly now that she was able to skate without falling on her ass a few times, and she was doubtful about this Naoko's skill._

_When her parents said that an old classmate of theirs_ — _Naoko's mother_ — _expressed thinly veiled concern for her daughter's almost nonexistent social life, Miho had taken pushed for a play-date between Shino and Naoko._

 _Naoko_ — _Shino never bothered to learn her last name_ — _was six years old, so just a year older than Shino. There an air about the girl that made her seem unapproachable but Shino tried not to let it deter her from making friends with Naoko._

_Too bad Naoko wasn't so receptive._

_"So lame," Naoko drawled when Shino tried to show her a rollerskating trick that she thought was very, very cool. Shino bristled, but held her tongue. Miho and Kido wanted her to make a good impression, after all._

_Naoko's mother had left to pick up her stepson from school, so Kido and Miho had their hawk eyes on the little girls, not wanting any terrible fate to befall Naoko while her mother was gone._

_"Nee-chan says it's cool, though..."_

_"Your nee-chan is lame, too," Naoko declared haughtily, sticking her nose up in the air._

_Shino couldn't stay silent any longer. Sayori wasn't here to defend herself (she was to be going to a friend's place after school), so she took it upon herself to defend her big sister. "No she's not! She's cool!"_

_"Laaaame."_

_"You're a spoiled brat!" Shino accused. She had heard her mother call Sayori that when she didn't clean up her room._

_Naoko scowled. "No, you are!"_

_"Am not! You're mean because you have money. I don't want to play with you anymore."_

_"Well, I don't want to play with you either!" Naoko shouted, huffily leaving the rink to sulk at the marble bench, which was just opposite said rink. Miho and Kido looked relieved when Naoko's mother returned with a blond boy in tow._

_Even if one was raven and the other was sunshine, Shino could see the similarities between the half-siblings. Most prominent was the perpetual scowls on their faces, though Naoko's seemed to be more arrogant and the boy's seemed to be more... sullen?_

_"She was rude, wasn't she?" Naoko's mother said to Miho, raising an eyebrow. "My Naoko has never taken to strangers, even those her own age. I told you that this play-date was a ridiculous idea."_

_Naoko's mother's condescending voice grated across Miho's nerves. "Oh, shut up. It's not my fault that your daughter is spoiled."_

_"Spoiled?" Naoko's mother hissed. Beyond the two ladies were Naoko and her older brother. She was hanging onto his arm, chattering away. "I think not! Don't tell me how to raise my children, Miho. We were never friends in high school, anyway. Good day."_

_"Good riddance," Kido said, having stayed silent the whole conversation. He was more of a lover than a fighter. "Makoshima-san has always been a mean shrew. I feel sorry for her children."_

_"Does that mean I don't have to play with her anymore?"_

_Miho ruffled her hair. "Yes. I'm sorry I forced you to do that."_

_"That's okay." Shino rubbed her nose, and Miho knew that she was still miffed about having to spend her afternoon with someone so antisocial._

_Kido seemed to have picked up on Shino's clue as well. "Want ice cream?"_

_Shino instantly brightened, her ire forgotten. "Chocolate, please!"_

* * *

"Kindaichi, have you been sleeping?" Shino stared at the bags underneath Kindaichi's eyes when they entered their classroom. She hadn't had the chance to talk to him about it during morning practice. Now was a better time than never.

"Huh?" Kindaichi shook his head, slightly dazed. "I'm fine! Really," he added when Shino gave him an unimpressed look. "Don't worry about it. Oh—that reminds me! We're still on for the skating, right?"

"Well, yes."

He gave her a grin that perplexed her. "Good." Then his face fell along with his head, his forehead hitting his desk with a thump. "I'm so fucking tired..."

Shino patted his back sympathetically. "Please try to get more sleep, Kindaichi."

"Mmrggh..."

"Sorry, I don't speak stupid," was the first thing Kunimi said as he joined them, sitting in his seat, which was beside Kindaichi's.

"Shut the fuck up."

"Did you hear that noise? It sounded like an idiot speaking..."

"Good morning!" Najimi greeted as she plopped down on Kunimi's desk, ignoring the scathing look he was giving her. She seemed to be an expert in all things that annoyed Kunimi. And she didn't even seem to be trying half the time. "How are all of you doing on this fine morning?" She wiggled her eyebrows at Kindaichi, who had his cheek smooshed on his desk.

"Not in the mood, Kurokawa-san," Kindaichi muttered.

"Too bad, because  _I_ am." Najimi crossed one leg over the other. "Hey, Iwasaki-chan, how was the food? Remember when I saw you at the store on Monday?"

"Oh, yes." Shino nodded. "The food was great, thanks for asking." She offered Najimi a small smile that she hoped extended beyond coldly polite. Najimi was someone she liked, despite her obnoxiousness and loudness. "And your ramen?"

Najimi patted her flat stomach. "Wonderful. Delicious. Delectable. Can I see your phone?"

"Eh?" Shino was confused, but palmed it to her anyway.

"Hm? No charm?"

 _Huh?_ Shino blinked.  _How does she...? Did she see me?_ "At home."

"Aw! You should totally put one on! It'll look so cute. Right, Ami?"

Suzuki Ami had chosen that exact moment to shuffle into their group with a shy little smile on her face. Ami was a fan of all things cute, so she would always have something to say about the topic. "Are you talking about phone charms, Najimi? Because I totally agree!" She pulled out her own phone, which had a parfait charm. "I like to change mine every week."

"Oohh! My one's a cat!" Najimi sweatdropped. "But most of the paint chipped off so now it looks like a neko version of that bad guy from Nightmare on Hamilton Street... The one with the claw glove?"

Ami balked. "Oh, yes, he's very scary..."

Suddenly, Kunimi cursed.

"What?" Kindaichi lifted his head, eyebrow cocked.

"I have to make dinner tonight because okaa-chan hurt her hand..." Kunimi gave Kindaichi a  _look_ , and understanding passed between them. Now that Kunimi had to cook, he wouldn't be able to make it to—

"Does that mean you're not coming, Kunimi?" Shino inquired. "To our rollerskating outing?"

"Yeah, sorry." Kunimi let out a frustrated noise. "Looks like it'll be just you and Kindaichi."

Said boy paled slightly. He hadn't been expecting a situation where he would be with Shino alone, and the reality of it was catching up to him. He didn't know when it had started, but it started to get a little awkward and embarrassing when he was with her. But he hid it well.  _I think._ "Are you sure you can't make it?"

"Positive." Kunimi's stare flattened before Kindaichi received a text from Kunimi. He took out his phone, his lips twitching at the text Kunimi had sent him.

_Grow a pair._

"Real mature," Kindaichi said dryly.

"You have no business calling me out on immaturity," Kunimi said flippantly.  _Not when you can't even deal with one girl who's at least a head shorter than you._

"Asshole."

"You're only proving my point."

Shino watched them banter, amused and slightly relieved at the sense of normalcy it brought her. Nothing had changed. And she hoped that it would stay that way for a long time.

She scratched at her scar before her other hand suddenly reached up and rubbed her nose. Shino blinked.  _When...? When did I start doing this again?_ She glanced over at Kindaichi, as if he had all the answers. But he was still busy arguing with Kunimi.  _I... I can deal with it._

* * *

"Where are we going?" Shino asked as Kindaichi led her down the road, opposite where the rollerskating rink was.  _It looks like the park from here... but why?_

"You'll see," Kindaichi answered crypitcally, sounding a bit flustered. His hand was clammy around her wrist, but she paid it no heed. "Can you close your eyes?"

"I'll end up tripping."

"I'll catch you."

"Then we'll both fall down."

"Can you just trust me on this?!" Kindaichi huffed.

"Tell me where we're going."

"Gah, you're impossible!"

Around them, leaves fell from trees, some landing in their hair. Perhaps it was because of global warming or some other reason, but autumn seemed to be coming a little earlier than usual, though the area was still mostly summery and green.

"We're here," Kindaichi groused, letting go of her arm and crossing his arms. "You can open your eyes now." He had been surprised when she had complied (with reluctance) to his request. He knew that she'd been utterly bemused, and something in him was satisfied. It was normally Shino that did the bemusing—how the tables had turned, if only for this one time!

Shino, who had been covering her eyes, dropped her hand, her eyelids fluttering as she opened her eyes. She stared at the scene in front of her, ignoring the chill on the back of her neck as the wind blew against her nape.

Her old haunt.

The skating rink in the park.

It was totally devoid of people.

A meow sounded.

Kindaichi startled at the furry ball that was suddenly curled around his feet. "What the? Keiji?"  _That was its name, right? I think that was what Iwasaki called it, anyway..._

"Hey, Keiji." Kindaichi flinched again at the sound of Shino's voice and how it broke the silence. She squatted down and picked up Keiji, settling him on the marble bench opposite the makeshift rink. "Look at this. What do you think happened?"

Keiji's green gaze flickered to Kindaichi. Shino's pale blue gaze followed soon after, questioning.

Kindaichi let loose a small sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "When you said that you didn't like the loud environment, I knew that you wouldn't stand with us dragging you down there (even though you did)... This is what Kunimi and I were doing last week. Kurokawa-san helped." And Ami had made them snacks delivered via Najimi, but mentioning that would be irrelevant. "It was mostly Kunimi's idea, really. One of his better ones," he added as an afterthought. When she continued to stare at him indifferently, he huffed. "Look, if you don't like it, then—"

She held up a hand, silencing him. "I do."

"... Do you?" He sounded skeptical.

Keiji yawned, curling into a ball on the bench.

She nodded, and there was something  _new_ in her eyes, and Kindaichi's own eyes widened slightly.  _She means it._ He tried to downplay his shock by lifting up a pair of skates. "Hope you brought these, because I'm teaching you the basics again."

Even though she looked like she longed to leave him for her bed or the comfort of her own, that spark in her eye never left.

It wasn't long before Shino fell with a harsh thud, nearly face-planting onto the hard ground. "Ah. That hurt."

"Duh." Kindaichi helped her up. "Up you get. Falling's a part of the learning process. You gotta get hurt a little before you can actually learn anything."

"I wish it didn't have to be that way."

Kindaichi snorted. "Tell me about it. I think I'm nearly deaf from all the shouting Hashimoto-sensei does, and I'm  _still_  not getting binomial theorem."

Shino smiled slightly. "I can help you with that. But first..." She dusted herself off. "I'll have to learn how to stand properly on these again."

"Are you okay? Y'know, because you fell..."

"It doesn't hurt," she assured him, rubbing her nose.

As the sun dipped beyond the horizon, Keiji's maw widened in a toothy yawn, his tail flicking back and forth. The lights had now lit up, now that it was dark, and Keiji was enjoying the warmth Shino's bag and sweater, which sat on the bench beside the cat, provided.

"Shit, it's getting late," Kindaichi said half an hour later, when they were both lightly sweating. "We should get home soon." They left the rink, and Shino put on her sweater again and stroked Keiji's fur before picking him up and cradling him in her arms.

"My dad will get worried if I'm home too late," Shino agreed as Keiji snuggled up against her chest, her heart beating strongly against her breast.

The walk home was mostly silent, Keiji occasionally mewing and Kindaichi sometimes starting small talk.

"Well, your stop," Kindaichi spoke to the darkness as they stopped at her house. Keiji had squirmed out of Shino's arms a while ago to go wherever he went when the moon was high above the clouds. "Night, Iwasaki."

"Goodnight..." Shino paused at the front gate. "Kindaichi."

As Kindaichi's figure became smaller before completely disappearing, Shino opened the gate and traveled down the stone pathway back to her house.

_Thump._

Shino went up to her room, flopping down on her bed, one arm across her face.

_Thump._

Pochi joined her soon after, licking at her face before snuggling against her side, letting out a content little whine.

_Thump._

Shino's eyes trailed to the melonpan charm sitting on her bedside table, next to her chocolate cake charm. Then she grabbed it and held it close to her heart, exhaling, suddenly hyper-aware of her heartbeat and how her face was flushed. It was probably from the cold, but...  _I've_ never  _felt like this before._ She could not even emphasize the  _never_ enough. It was such a strange, new thing.

Pochi barked.

And her heart thumped again.

"Sayori-nee... I have a feeling that only you would know about this. Will I see you again in my dreams tonight?"

* * *

"It was nice of you to cook dinner for us," Kunimi's mother said, her voice uncertain and her hand totally fine. "But what's the occasion?"

"I'm curious, too," his brother added, eyebrows raised high. "You're normally such a brat about cooking duty."

"Oh, you know..." Kunimi glanced up from his bowl of rice, eyes gleaming. "Kindaichi can be an idiot sometimes. He needed a push. And I was free, anyway, so..." He shrugged. "Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu," his mother and brother echoed before they picked up their chopsticks.

* * *

_**A/N: I want to be clear that Shino is currently not identifying with these new feelings. She has observed others feeling the same thing, but observing is not the same thing as feeling it, and I cannot stress that enough. She can't tell what it is, but she will in the end.** _

_**Speaking of the end... is it near?!** _

_**Also, I use "Thanks for the food" and "Itadakimasu" interchangeably. It's not the same thing, per se, but there are some situations where it would be more appropriate to use one rather than the other.** _

_**Naoko made an appearance as a kid. o_o** _


	20. Fall

Shino held the eraser end of her mechanical pencil to her lips, her brows furrowed in a slight frown. She was hunched over her study desk, but her textbooks and homework sat in a neat pile on the side of the table. What she was really poring over was an A3 sketchbook that she had dug up from somewhere, half-filled with old drawings that she had done during middle school.

 _The lips don't look right,_ she decided as she flipped the pacer around in her fingers and rubbed out the offending facial feature. About fifteen minutes later, she was satisfied, and straightened her and held up the book to get a good look at the final product.

A paper and lead version of Sayori stared back at her, her uncolored hair curling around her shoulders like a wispy, yet defined cloud. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were pursed in a peaceful expression—what she imagined Sayori would look like after in an afterlife without suffering. She observed her drawing for a little while longer before turning to a new, empty page.

Her pencil touched the paper once before she turned it so that it was landscape in her perspective. There was a little snore, and Shino turned in her chair to see a sleeping Pochi. The sight brought a contented smile to her lips before she returned to what she was doing, gliding the pencil around the page as she sketched.

"Honey~" The door opened and Miho entered. She was off-duty today, and had stayed at home the whole day. "I brought you a snack." The woman was holding a bowl of sliced oranges with a tiny fork stuck in one of the pieces.

"Thank you," Shino said as her mother placed the small bowl of oranges next to her textbooks.

Miho nodded, her gaze flitting over to the light sketches Shino had made on the paper. "What are you drawing?"

"My friends," Shino said through a mouthful of orange. "I might draw Shibayama-san—Yuu-kun—next."

Miho's cognitive function immediately stuttered to a halt at the word 'friends' and 'Yuu-kun'. "I-I see..." She offered her daughter a smile. "I'm so glad, Shino-chan."

Pochi, who had been stirred awake by the noise, lifted his head curiously, his tail starting to wag.

"I love you more than anything in the world," Miho said solemnly, wrapping her arms around Shino from the top, and resting her chin on her daughter's head. "I'm glad you're making friends."

Her mother's long blonde hair tickled her chin, but Shino did not complain, enjoying the warmth of her mother's body.

"Now, then," Miho said, stepping back and giving Shino another one of her tired, tentative smiles. "I'll leave you to it, my little artistic genius. Make sure you bathe before dinner."

"I will."

* * *

"Ugh, you jerk!" Najimi shouted, clutching her wrist as she glared at Kunimi, who looked wholly unconcerned. "I can't believe you just threw a softball at me like that!"

"It's your fault that you didn't catch it," Kunimi retorted, his lips thinning in displeasure. "Don't come whining to me just because you're incompetent."

"What was that, you robot-perv?! Just because I'm injured doesn't mean that I can't still shove my fist up your—"

"OKAY!" The gym teacher intervened just then. "Why don't you just..."

Shino never got to hear what the gym teacher had to say next, tuning her words out. Next to her, Kindaichi was laughing at Kunimi's pinched expression and Najimi's furious one.

"Poor Suzuki-san," Kindaichi said to her, gesturing with his thumb at the soft-spoken baker, who seemed torn between intervening and staying uninvolved. "I guess what's what you get when you're friends with someone like Kurokawa-san."

"She's not that bad," Shino offered, a tentative look of amusement on her face. "Everyone in our class seems to get along with her—everyone except Kunimi."

"Boy, if that isn't the truth." Kinadaichi shifted his weight to one foot, tossing the softball in his hand up and down. "And this is them with an  _improved_ relationship." He examined the softball before tossing it to Shino, who caught it. "We should start doing the activity again before the teacher catches us slacking."

Shino agreed, and the catching and tossing started up again.

Class 1-5 were currently in their physical education period, all of them changed into their sports uniforms, which were just white shirts with turquoise highlights and white shorts. Softball was today's sport, and as a warm up exercise, the teacher had them throwing and catching softballs with a partner that she allocated.

"Wanna go for ramen later?" Kindaichi asked his partner. It was Monday today, meaning that there was no volleyball practice to attend. "We can ask Kurokawa-san and Suzuki-san if you want," he added as an afterthought.  _She mostly hangs out with us guys; I think she might need a little more female company._

"I have time," Shino answered. "Should we meet at the front gates after school?"

He nodded, chucking the softball back at her. "Sounds like a plan."

There was a shout, and heads turned just in time to see Najimi nearly get conked on the head by Kunimi's throw. As if they were one single entity, everyone sweatdropped, including the exasperated gym teacher, who was probably regretting putting those two together.

After class, the students all went off to either the changing rooms or the school sinks. Nearly all the girls in their class had gone off to the sinks, their long hair tied up in ponytails and their bangs framing their faces nicely. Najimi, Ami, and Shino—coincidentally the only three girls in class 1-5 with short hair—were gathered at the end of one sink, which was nearly devoid of people.

Both Ami and Najimi had brown hair, but Najimi's was shorter and a much darker brown, while Ami's was lighter and longer. Had Ami not been paler and a head shorter than the darker-skinned Najimi, most would have mistaken them for twins or sisters.

"Do you want to come to Popu after school?" Shino asked after some idle conversation. "For ramen." As she stared at their smiling faces, she made a resolve: To dedicate a page in her sketchbook to them as well. She wasn't close with them, but they still had some kind of bond with one another. Plus, they would be fun to draw because of how comically symmetrical they were.  _If I were to take a cleaver down the center of their skulls, I'd have matching halves._

"Sure!" Ami beamed at her. "I was going to have a club meeting today, but that can be postponed."

 _She was?_ Shino frowned. "If you have another commitment, then you don't have to—"

"Nonsense!" Ami waved a hand at her. "I have club activities every day, and nobody minds if I take a day off since I'm normally there all week. We never hang out with you, and I'd like to get to know you a little bit better."

"What she said," Najimi said in agreement, giving Shino a wink. "Is anyone else coming?"

Shino nodded. "Yes—Kindaichi and Kunimi."

Najimi's face fell.

Ami elbowed her. "Oh, Najimi... don't be like that. You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to."

Najimi blushed, her nose scrunched up. "Geez, it's not like that. I'm not  _scared_  of him or anything..."

Ami laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you  _liked_ him."

Najimi looked positively horrified at the suggestion. "Ami! What have you done to much sweet innocent Ami?" she demanded, pinching the smaller girl's cheeks and pulling them. "Answer me, pea pod person!"

"Waahh, I'm not an alien!" Ami protested as best as she could—she  _was_  having her cheeks pulled after all.

Had life been a little more animated, question marks would have popped up around Shino, utterly stumped by the whole exchange.  _I thought they were friends, but that looks very painful. It_ appears  _friendly, however, so why...?_ She tilted her head in confusion.  _I've never seen Kindaichi or Kunimi do such a thing to each other before._

"Excuse me," Shino interjected, drawing their attention to her. "But what are you doing...?"

At that, Najimi released Ami, laughing. "She accused me of liking the metal-man so I had to teach her a lesson."

Ami pouted and rubbed her reddened cheeks. "You're so mean..."

"Aren't you friends?" Shino asked, doubly confused at Najimi's response.

"Well, of course," Najimi answered, blinking. "What, did you think I was bullying her or something? It might appear like that, but that's only because that's our friendship dynamic."

"Mmhm," Ami added, giving Shino a small smile. "Not all friends act the same, you see. Some might get along to the point where they can finish each other's sentences, but we're not like that."

Shino nodded slowly. "I... understand. But what do you mean accused you of liking Kunimi? I don't think you like him at all, from how you act."

Again, Najimi blushed. "Uhhh, we can talk about this later. We should go change and have lunch now, don't you think?"

"Wait—"

"See you in class, Iwasaki-chan!"

Najimi dashed off, leaving Ami and Shino in the dust.

Shino gave Ami a questioning look.

"She likes him," Ami declared confidently to no one in particular.

"You can tell?"  _Because I can't... Kurokawa-san must be very good at hiding her affections._

"She's pretty bad at hiding her feelings," Ami decided just as Shino finished her train of thought, making the blonde girl sweat. How could Ami disagree so strongly? Was there something that Shino was missing?

 _People who have affection to another person are normally more dithering but somewhat forward, aren't they?_ Shino thought to herself as she and Ami went to the change rooms, remembering Yahaba's behavior.  _They blush a lot, tend to stammer, and be shy. Sometimes they'll deny it, but not as strongly as Kurokawa-san, because they secretly yearn to share their burden with another person._ Well, Najimi  _had_ been blushing a lot, but wasn't that because she was constantly livid at Kunimi's very existence? But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Najimi was a strong, prideful individual—she would take her secret to the grave and deny it as vehemently as possible.  _Yes,_ Shino concluded, nodding to herself.  _It does match her personality, so there is sense in Ami's words._

* * *

"You didn't tell me that she was coming," Kunimi hissed to Kindaichi, who was sweatdropping.

Everybody—Kindaichi, Kunimi, Shino, Najimi, and Ami—was seated at a single table in the cafe section of Popu Book Store, awaiting their ramen orders that they had placed five minutes ago. The waitress had been totally unaware of the animosity, and had written down their orders with a brilliant smile on her face.

"Sorry," Kindaichi whispered back. "I just didn't want you to ditch me because of it."

Najimi, who was seated directly opposite Kunimi, gritted her teeth. "I'm already starting to regret this..."

"Don't fight, okay?" Ami murmured.

"Do it for Iwasaki," Kindaichi said to Kunimi.

As each of the best friends tried to calm down their respective partners, Shino, who had picked up a brochure menu at the front desk, lifted her eyes from said brochure. "They're having special stew today," she said dispassionately, making everyone's sweatdrops grow to new proportions at her seemingly unaware disposition.

Thankfully, their ramen arrived soon, and they all got down to slurping their meals peacefully. Until Najimi noticed that Kunimi had eaten more of his noodles than her. Frowning and feeling a fire burn within her, Najimi started to eat even quicker, never taking her eyes off Kunimi.

Kunimi noticed soon enough, and glared at the brunette, slurping his noodles at an even faster rate than he had been before.

Ami stopped in her eating to observe their unspoken ramen-eating contest when a drop of soup landed on her arm. "Umm..."

"Dude, what the hell?" Kindaichi barked at Kunimi when soup landed on him as well, only to be ignored.

At that moment, Najimi and Kunimi both stopped eating to simultaneously shout, "Quiet!" Then they promptly resumed their competition.

Shino blew on her noodles before eating at a calm pace.

Ami sighed while an irk mark appeared on Kindaichi's temple. Sensing that something was about to explode if she didn't intervene, Shino spoke up, "Kindaichi, do you want my narutomaki?"  _I noticed that he still hasn't eaten his narutomakis yet, which means he's either saving them for last or he doesn't like them. But since he hasn't pushed them to the side of the bowl, it probably means that it's the former._

Her assumption was correct, as Kindaichi's eyes lit up. "Pass 'em over."

Shino had placed her narutomaki in his bowl and was withdrawing her chopsticks when Najimi stood up, stiff. "I'm going to the bathroom," she announced before storming off.

"What did you do now?" Kindaichi asked Kunimi, his voice dry.

"Nothing!" Kunimi defended himself. "She's just being an idiot... as usual." Shino noted that his voice sounded uncertain, as if he were truly worried about the consequences of their mini competition. What if he really had upset her?

Ami stood up to go after her, but Shino stopped her. "Wait. I want to talk to her. Do you mind, Suzuki-san? I'll call you in if she asks for you."

"Oh, um, okay. I don't mind, I guess."

Shino entered the bathroom to find it devoid of any people except for Najimi, who was staring heatedly at her own reflection in the mirror, her arms folded across her chest. Silently, Shino moved to stand beside her.

When Najimi didn't speak and the silence dragged on, Shino piped up, "What's the problem?"

Najimi sighed, rubbing her face. "That stupid boy... and me."

Shino, who had been ready to point out that her whole rivalry with the boy could be deemed as stupid, paused. "What do you mean?"

"I..." Najimi struggled to find the words. "I hate what I'm doing! I always look like an idiot in front of him."

"You purposely antagonize him," Shino stated bluntly.

Najimi winced. "Yeah, I know, and I wish I wouldn't, but... I don't know what else to do. I don't want him to know that—" Her breath hitched.

"That you harbor affection for him?" Shino ventured.

The brunette cringed. "Even you've noticed... I must be really bad at hiding my feelings. I know that Ami's been suspecting for a while now."

"Aa."

"Well, that just confirms it."

"How do you know you like him?" Shino asked abruptly, breaking the flow of the conversation.  _How? How? I don't understand._

"Well..." Najimi leaned against the sink, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I just  _do_. Every word he says to be imprints on my mind, and I can't stop thinking about him. He makes my entire body burn and my heart beat really fast. It sounds really cheesy, but do you get what I mean? Kunimi... matters to me in a way that I can't explain. I guess that means..."

Shino leaned in eagerly.

"... That he's the boy I like."

And the words were seared into Shino's mind.  _The boy that I like. He's the 'boy that I like'._

"Do you have that special someone?" Najimi inquired after another stretch of silence. "You don't seem like the person that would, but," she shrugged, "no harm in asking, right?"

"A special someone?"  _Somebody that makes my entire body burn and my heart beat really fast..._ _Someone that matters to me, someone that I can't stop thinking about._ She felt her heart jump to her throat. "Yes," she whispered.

"Huh? I didn't catch that."

Shino lifted her gaze. "Yes. I do."

"Well,  _that_ was unexpected." Najimi blinked. "So, you gonna tell him? I hope your relationship is nothing like mine and Kunimi's."

"Tell him?" Shino shook her head. "Not now. I'm... worried. I don't want our relationship to change because, like you said, he matters to me." Her head throbbed and she palmed her forehead, hunching over slightly. "I will, someday, when I'm brave enough."

"Man," Najimi breathed out a sigh before breaking out in a grin. "Then I wish you good luck, my fellow-girl-in-love!" She took Shino's smaller hands and entwined their fingers. "I mean it. The best of luck to the both of us. And if I can't find my happy ending with the mecha-maniac, then I hope you do with your man. I admit, we don't know each other all that well—Ami was right about that—but I know that you deserve a happy ending. I mean, you're pretty awesome. You  _did_ help the whole class with math, after all..."

"Kunimi helped, too," Shino pointed out, a small smile on her face.

"Ah," Najimi's grin grew even bigger. "I guess that means he's pretty awesome, too. Seriously, good luck. Tell him when you're ready."

"I will," Shino promised. "And, Kurokawa-san, if you want to have a better relationship with Kunimi... I hear that he likes salted caramels. And perhaps stop trying to rile him up so much."

"Hah! I'll try, Iwasaki-chan, I'll try."

* * *

"Alright!" the gym teacher declared, looking over the girls that were lined up in front of her. "Your final grade for track depends on this race. It's going to be a relay, and I'm going to put you into teams of four. The boys have already had their turn, so now it's time for you girls!"

"Yes, sensei!" the girls chorused, and Shino felt her head ache.

The aches were becoming more prominent than ever, Shino realized. At first, it had been a pang or two, nothing too terrible, but over the weeks, it started to escalate.

"Iwasaki-san! Go stand with Kurokawa-san, Miyuki-san, and Kagawa-san!"

"Yes..." Shino slunk off to her position.

"Alright," Najimi said, taking charge. "We should decide who's going to stand where. Kagawa-san, you're pretty fast. I think you should start off with the baton?"

Kagawa shrugged. "I'm cool with that. What about you, Miyuki-chan?"

"I'll be the second runner," Miyuki said, and the others nodded in agreement. The girl pushed her glasses up. "By the way, did you see that new meme on the class group chat? The one that Kunimi-san posted?"

Najimi was about to say something biting when she caught Shino's glance. The brunette blushed. "Yeah," she admitted, "It was pretty damn hilarious. But back to business!"

The positions were soon decided: Kagawa would be starting off with the baton, Miyuki would be passed the baton by Kagawa; Shino was to be the third runner, and Najimi would be making the final sprint once Shino passed the baton to her. They were versing three other teams of four, which were the rest of the girls in class 1-5.

"Hey, Iwasaki," Kindaichi called from the benches where the boys were sitting. "Good luck!"

Shino waved back to him in response before taking her place, standing with the other girls who had been stuck into third runner position for their teams. She took a deep breath as the race started, Kagawa dashing off toward Miyuki. Her head was pounding worse than ever, and she felt slow and sluggish.

 _What's wrong with me?_ she thought hazily, clutching her head and pushing up her bangs to get a feel of the scar on her head.  _I should go to the sickbay._ She looked regretfully back at her team. Kagawa had nearly reached Miyuki, and had the baton held out in front of her. The girl was shouting something to Miyuki, but Shino felt too far away to make it out. She turned to Kindaichi, who was looking curiously at her, a semblance of worry in his eyes.  _But if i leave for the sickbay, my team will lose and get bad grades as a result. I don't want to drag anyone down. I know that Kagawa especially loves physical education, so this will be a blow to her._

Miyuki had successfully been handed the baton and was now racing as fast as she could to Shino, her glasses bouncing up and down on her nose. Shino closed her eyes.

* * *

_"Man, that was a disaster," Kindaichi commented as he stepped outside with Shino by his side. They'd left Ami, Najimi, and Kunimi to talk things over. "I hope they finally sort out their problems."_

_"I think that Kurokawa-san hopes for the same thing," Shino opined, looking up at him.  
_

_"Eh? Really? She's the one that's starts the fights half the time."_

_"You're right, but she has a reason for that."_

_"What reason?" Kindaichi was frowning_ — _what reason could be good enough to constantly harass someone like she did to Kunimi? It wasn't fair to either of them, and Kindaichi didn't think much of her for doing so._

_But Shino simply gave him an irritatingly mysterious smile. "I'm not allowed to tell you."_

_"What?! Seriously?" He groaned. "You were so innocent and oblivious before, and now you're keeping secrets from me..."_

_Shino recoiled. Was he upset about it? "Oh. I'm sorry?" she offered._

_Kindaichi gave her a look before he chuckled. "I was just messing with you. You're so oblivious sometimes. And you skate really bad."_

_"I've been improving," Shino argued mildly, remembering all the lessons he had been giving her since the day he had surprised her at the park._

_"Yeah, thanks to_ me _," Kindaichi said, a hint of smug pride in his voice. "At least you can skate without falling over all the time now..."_

_A comfortable silence stretched between them. Both of them were leaning against the store window, their backs pressing against the glass. Kindaichi had his hands shoved in his pockets._

_"Thank you," Shino said abruptly._

_"Huh?"_

_"For being my friend," she elaborated. "And teaching me how to skate."_

_He flushed slightly. "It wasn't a problem. It'd suck if you had to live the rest of your life landing on your ass after skating a few feet forward..."_

_"Yes," she agreed, earning a surprised look from him. "It'd suck big time."_

_Kindaichi gave her a side smile. "You tried really hard. So thanks for putting in the effort." He gave her a nudge. "Keep putting everything into what you do, and try as many new things as you can." He thought of Oikawa briefly. "It's how you win in life."_

_She deliberated his statement, before nodding. "I will."_

_"Good. Don't let me down, hey?" Kindaichi lifted his arm, his hand fisted, staring at Shino expectantly. She was confused at first, before remembering what he and Kunimi sometimes did when they were in agreement of something or were celebrating._

_She bumped the side of her own fist against his._

_"You can count on me."_

* * *

"SHINO!" Miyuki shouted, bringing the girl back into reality. "Here!"

Shino's eyes snapped open and her hand enclosed around the cold metal of the baton; she took off toward Najimi, whose posture was tense as she waited for the baton to come to her. Miyuki was left hunched over and panting at where Shino had been standing, but the blonde girl never looked back.

 _I have to get it to Kurokawa. Faster._ Footsteps drummed behind her—her opponents were catching up, and quick. Shino had never been the most athletic person around, but she had to give it her all.  _I can't let my team down._

This wasn't the first time people had been counting on her.

But this time, she was determined not to fail—not like she had failed Sayori when she had needed her most. The only thing she could see now was Najimi with her hand outstretched, yelling something that seemed like 'faster' from the way her lips moved.

Najimi's face blurred, along with the rest of the world.

* * *

Kindaichi felt his heart drop to his stomach as Shino slowed to a jog before collapsing onto the track. "IWASAKI!" he shouted, running toward her, Kunimi at his heels.

Najimi, who had only been a few feet away from her when she had collapsed, reached her first, her eyes frantic. "Oh my god...! Iwasaki-chan...!"

People began to crowd, and Kindaichi pushed past them, ignoring their protests. "Shit, Iwasaki!" He crouched over her, opposite from Najimi, and held her head up. "Iwasaki?"

"Get back!" the gym teacher shouted, dispersing the crowd. "Someone go get the nurse!" She wrenched both Najimi and Kindaichi away from Shino, and the unconscious girl's head thumped against the track, igniting a fury within Kindaichi.

"LET ME GO!" he bellowed, struggling against the boys and girls that were in his way. "FUCK! IWASAKI!"

"Kindaichi!" Kunimi barked sharply, yanking the boy toward him. "Stop that! We have to let the professionals handle it."

"There was nothing professional about  _that_!" Kindaichi spat out, referring to how the gym teacher had just let Shino's head fall onto the track. "Dammit, Kunimi—!"

"Stop."

Kindaichi whipped around to yell at the person who had dared tell him off, only to falter at the sight of Mizoguchi and Irihata, both of whom had been summoned from the nearby gym by the noise. It had been Irihata who had spoken.

Mizoguchi placed a hand on Kindaichi, his face solemn. "Now, Kindaichi."

The boy's shoulders drooped. "You... You have to help her."  _Dammit, they_ have _to help her!_

"And we will," Irihata promised. "But for now, you have to step back. For Iwasaki's sake."

"He's right," Kunimi urged, taking Kindaichi by the arm. "Come on."

Numb, Kindaichi allowed himself to be led away by Kunimi, who did not allow him to see Shino being taken away on a stretcher.

* * *

Shino's room was completely silent, save for the wind blowing through the only open window that was directly in front of Shino's desk. The house was empty—void of all life except for Pochi, who was roaming around restlessly.

A particularly fierce breeze blew through Shino's room, and the open sketchbook on her desk had its pages flipped, eventually stopping on a page.

The smiling faces of the Aobajosai's boy's volleyball team grinned at the ceiling, frozen in time.

* * *

_**A/N: umm okay it's been a long time** _

_**Anyway, the story IS coming to a close. There should be two or three chapters left. Don't worry, she's not dead. Everything will be explained next chapter. If you're wondering what took so long, it's because I'm working on a Naruto fanfiction. It's called Trial of Man if you're interested.** _

_**Please review~! I love reading your reviews ^^** _


	21. Get Up

One week. It'd been one week since Shino's collapse on the school's tracks and she had yet to return. Kindaichi dribbled the ball three times before tossing it in the air and attempting to copy Oikawa's jump serve. It was clumsy, and the ball flew to the side, but Watari dashed to the right to receive it anyway.

"Maa, what a pain," Oikawa muttered to the side, tentatively stretching his legs. He winced when he felt a pang on his knee, but it wasn't anything he hadn't felt before.

"Overworking yourself again, I see," Iwaizumi observed, though he sounded far too detached to be accusing; far too far away. "At least put on your knee brace."

"Ah, I left it at home, haha..." Oikawa winked at him and stuck out his tongue, causing Iwaizumi to roll his eyes. The brunet looked around the gym, his gaze pained when he watched Yahaba wander to where Shino usually stood next to the coaches to collect a bottle of water from her. Yahaba paused in his tracks, as if realizing that  _no, Iwasaki Shino was not there and he'd have to fetch his own damn water_  before awkwardly shuffling back into position.

"Team meeting," Oikawa decided, sounding unusually grave.

Iwaizumi gave him a quick nod, and the practice session was paused.

* * *

**LINE: CLASS 1-5**

[Kagawa]: Has anyone heard from Iwasaki-chan yet? I'm getting really worried

[Ishida]: I heard that she was in hospital but I don't know which one

[Miyuki]: I saw the ambulance take her away during clean-up duty, I think

[Kurokawa]: It's been a week, guys... she's probably recovering from whatever that struck her down, no biggie

[Kurokawa]: I bet she's reading our messages and laughing at us right now

[Kagawa]: Ehhh? I've never seen Iwasaki-chan laugh before, I don't think she would do that, haha

[Hiiragi]: Why don't we ask Kunimi-san and Kindaichi-san? They're closest to her.

[Miyuki]: Good idea! Kunimi-san, Kindaichi-san, are you reading this? If you know what happened to Iwasaki-chan, please tell us. Everyone is worried and has been posting non-stop about her.

[Ishida]: Yeah, nothing bad happened, right?

[Kurokawa]: She's helped all of us so much. I know she's a bit closed-off sometimes, but we're all concerned about her so please respond. Sincerely, all of 1-5.

[Kagawa]: ^ What she said

[Kunimi]: We don't know.

[Suzuki]: I know what hospital she's staying at! It's the local one closest to school; I know because I followed the ambulance to find out where she was staying so I would know where to send the cake I'm going to make her.

[Kindaichi]: Seriously?! Where?! She hasn't been responding to messages from either of us.

[Kurokawa]: They don't allow cake in the hospital

[Suzuki]: Oh, darn. Anyway, I can't recall what it was called; just look it up using maps and location

[Ishida]: Why don't we send her a get-well card?

[Miyuki]: Great idea! We should pass it around the class during break time so everyone gets to sign it

[Kagawa]: I'm down ^ make sure the design is cute

* * *

A pair of deft hands repeatedly solved a rainbow puzzle cube; the owner of those hands had her brow furrowed slightly in shallow concentration. Her gaze was completely blank as she clicked the cubes back into their original place.

Eventually, she placed the cube on the bedside table next to her hospital bed, and opted for staring at the ceiling instead, deep in thought. She turned her head to one side, her gaze fixed on the blank sheets of paper underneath her cube, and the pen that accompanied it.

She sat up and took a sheet of paper and pen, using a folding table that stretched across her bed to support the paper. She was pondering on what to write when the nurse came in with a fresh pitcher of water.

"Are you doing homework?" the nurse said, if a little condescendingly. "Why are you still studying this? There's no point."

"Ah..." Shino lifted her gaze. "I'm not studying. But if I had been," she added when the nurse adopted a snooty look, "it's because those who try their best and put their all into everything are the ones that win in life. And I would like to be that person."

The nurse raised an eyebrow. "I see." She promptly left, leaving Shino alone with her pen and her empty sheet of paper.

She began to write.

Shino finished when Miho entered the room, her lips pressed into a thin line. She was holding something in her hand—and old cassette recorder.

"You told me you wanted this," Miho said. "Here. Your father and I have already packed most of your stuff."

"What about my phone?"

Miho stiffened before taking the device out of her skirt pocket. "You've been getting a lot of messages. I haven't looked at any of them... they're probably from your friends."

Shino's lips twitched. "Really?" Almost eagerly, she took the phone from her mother and swiftly unlocked it, shocked at all the flood of unchecked messages on her LINE. Her eyes widened slightly as she opened Class 1-5's exclusive chat. "Everyone..." She turned her phone off. "It's time for my evening walk," she reminded her mother, getting out of bed.

"Of course." Miho's gaze shifted to the letters. "These are...?"

"For my friends."

"Oh."

The sky was dark and the stars shone brightly as Shino walked through the hospital's grounds, the evening breeze biting at her skin through her hospital robes and shawl. She carried her phone with her, the device tucked in her palm. Eventually, she reached a red bridge that stretched across a bubbling brook.

She observed the water for a while before turning on her phone and switching to the camera. Shino raised her arm, snapping a photo of a lone star burning brightly in space.

"Thank you," she murmured as she sent the photo to Class 1-5's chatroom. "Everyone." Then, slowly, she held her phone over the river. Another zephyr brushed her fingers as she let go, the phone landing in the water with a splash.  _I'm sorry. But if I am to make a full recovery, I cannot see you all again._

Tomorrow morning, Shino was released from the hospital and allowed to go home. Inside their home, there were boxes piled everywhere, and Shino expertly dodged them as she made her way to her room. The letter she had written last night was tucked in an envelope with a cake sticker sealing it, and she gripped the corner of the envelope tightly in her hand.

She had received two cards that morning, and she hadn't had the time to read them yet.

Her desk and bed were no longer there, but that wasn't a problem. She huddled in the corner, pressing record on the cassette tape and lifting the microphone to her mouth.

She hesitated.

Then—

"Hello, Kindaichi."

* * *

Mizoguchi wheeling his bin back into his property when a gentle footfall reached his ears. He paused and looked up, eyes widening when he saw who it was.

"Iwasaki-chan?" he spluttered in disbelief. "You—"

"Sorry, Mizoguchi-san, but I don't have much time." Shino's voice was soft, and her words had a desperate air about it. "But please give this to the team. And tell them that I'm very, very sorry that I cannot be their manager anymore." She held out a white envelope with crinkled corners.

Mizoguchi frowned, but took the envelope anyway. "I don't understand—"

"You will when you read it," Shino insisted. "Please, just... take it."

* * *

Kunimi had just gotten back home and was changing in his room when his mother knocked on the door. "I'm not decent," he said blandly, raising his voice. "Don't come in, please."

"Alright, but come out soon. Your friend left me something for you to give to Kindaichi-kun."

Kunimi paused in pulling the red shirt over his head.  _For Kindaichi?_

* * *

Kindaichi strolled into class to find his classmates all gathered around one person.  _Huh? What's going on?_ His heart jumped.  _Is it Iwasaki?! Did something happen?_ "Oi," he called, shoving his way into the crowd to peer over Kurokawa Najimi's shoulder. She was the only person who would dare have their phone out just a minute before their demon homeroom teacher was due to arrive. "What's going on here?"

"Come, look!" Najimi invited, her voice urgent. "Iwasaki-chan sent us this when we were all asleep."

"It's some kind of black screen," Kagawa mused.

"Did she send the wrong photo?" someone wondered.

"Maybe she had her thumb over the camera."

"No—wait!" It was Ami who voiced what Kindaichi had almost immediately noticed. "Look, everyone, there's something bright in the top-center. I think... she took a picture of—"

"The night sky," Kindaichi finished with no small amount of surprise in his voice.  _Why would she...?_ He shook his head. "Did she send anything else?"

"No," Najimi stated, biting her lip. "Just this. I don't know what it's supposed to mean."

"Maybe," a boy called Ishida theorized, "She's saying that even when the sky's so dark, there are still stars shining out there. So if she can learn to shine brighter..."

"We'll be able to see her," Kagawa murmured.

"That's a nice thought," Kindaichi admitted.  _Iwasaki... what are you trying to tell us? Is that really it?_

"Wuuu, we sent her a card and everything!" Miyuki sighed, crossing her arms. "I wonder if she got it?"

Najimi was confident. "Of course she will! We can count on her."

_You can count on me._

Kindaichi sank into his seat, a sinking feeling entering his heart.  _Where did you go, Iwasaki? And why won't you talk to me?_

* * *

**_A/N: Short chapter, I know, but I'm feeling quite drained ATM, and I'm not sure how to make this emotional enough, huhuhu..._ **

**_This isn't quite the end just yet. We still don't know what's really happening, but I swear the explanation is coming NEXT chapter, and hopefully it'll be a bit sadder than this._ **

**_That star quote is from Toradora! which is an awesome anime._ **

**_Next chapter: We find out what the team meeting was about, though it's not going to be explicitly shown. We see the cards, the letter, and...? What did Shino give to Kunimi's mother? I'm sure you can all guess._ **


	22. Fly

"Have you heard?" a female student said to her friend as they walked down the corridors of Aobajosai during lunchtime. "Iwasaki Shino hasn't shown up for a week."

"Who?" her friend wondered.

"A first year. She was well known because she and a friend help her entire year group in a mass-tutoring session for mathematics. Have you seen the exam scores? All the first years' averages have risen up dramatically."

"Wow, she must have been nice and popular..."

They passed Kindaichi, who was standing in front of a vending machine and deciding what drink to buy before practice—which was in five minutes—started.  _Nice and popular,_ he repeated in his head with fond exasperation.  _Yeah, right. More like completely clueless in life._ A tight smile appeared on his lips and he crouched to pick up his drink—he'd decided on strawberry milk; if Kageyama hadn't tarnished the drink by being associated with it during middle school, Kindaichi would definitely have drank it more often.  _But nice... yeah, she's nice, in the most roundabout way._ He sipped his milk, strolling down the corridor to the gym.  _There's still not a whole lot I know about her._

He chugged the rest of his milk down, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and tossing the carton away in a nearby bin before entering the gym.

_But I would like to._

The door made a loud noise as it swung open, and Kindaichi was surprised to see the entire team gathered around the coaches, looking faintly stricken. Mizoguchi's face was stoic, but Kindaichi could tell that it was a lot of effort for the younger coach to have that kind of mask up. Kindaichi was hesitant to approach them at first, but as soon as the word 'her' was thrown around in hushed _-but-not-hushed-enough_  voices, his reluctance disappeared.

"What the hell is going on?" Kindaichi demanded as he shouldered his way between Yahaba and Watari, completely missing the pitying looks they gave him. "Oikawa-senpai? What...?"

Oikawa looked up from the letter he was holding, the paper crinkled at the sides from how tightly he clutched it. His eyes were filled with regret. "Kindaichi."

"What is this?" Kindaichi asked curiously, tilting his head to try and read the letter. "Is it from Iwasaki?" His eyes brightened ever so slightly despite the rock he was currently feeling in his gut. "Did she get our card?"  _A thank-you note? But..._

He looked around at all their despondent faces. Even Kunimi was looking put-out and a little pale, and he hadn't even acknowledged the appearance of his best friend.

Irihata let out a sigh. "Might as well get this over and done with," he said to no one in particular, and Mizoguchi shot him a side glance. "Kindaichi, Iwasaki's not going to be our manager anymore."

"What?! Why?" Kindaichi frowned.  _But this means she's better, doesn't it? So why won't she come back?_

"Because she's not even in Japan anymore," Mizoguchi said calmly, closing his eyes as he dropped the bomb.

"Oikawa," Iwaizumi spoke to his best friend, "Give him the letter."

"Not... in Japan?" Kindaichi was failing to compute, numbly accepting the piece of paper.  _Where did she go, then?!_ He wanted to scream and shout—hurl abuses at them even, but he knew that would only be detrimental to, well, everything. So he clenched his fists, trying to keep his temper and questions down.

"She..." Makki scratched the back of his head, a slight frown on his face. "It doesn't really say in the letter why she left. It was mostly just thank-yous and..."

"'I'm sorry's," Mattsun supplied helpfully, looking more solemn than Kindaichi had ever seen him outside of a match. He passed his hand through his hair in frustration. "But she says that in order to get better, she has to go somewhere else for treatment."

"There was something else attached," Mizoguchi suddenly spoke up, pulling a folded A3-sized paper out of his jacket pocket. He opened it up and smoothed the creases out, something—Kindaichi couldn't tell what—in his eyes. "I know she may seem a little cold sometimes, but she cared about all of us a lot. This just proves it."

Kunimi's eyes widened slightly when he saw what it was. "This..."

"It's us," Oikawa breathed, taking the paper and holding it out in front of him for everybody to see. "It's us, you guys. Everyone's here, including her."

At that moment, Yahaba burst into noisy tears, leaving Watari to comfort him by rubbing awkward circles on his back. "She...!" wailed Yahaba. "I can't believe her...!" Had things been different, it was a guarantee that someone would have laughed at Yahaba's expense.

"Damn," Iwaizumi murmured.

"She's good," Irihata acknowledged rather offhandedly.

"Of course she was," Kindaichi muttered hatefully. "Of course she was. She was good at almost everything." He didn't know why, but a sudden, insurmountable anger had built up in his chest. His fingers twitched—he wanted nothing more than to rip the drawing into shreds.  _Iwasaki!_ he screamed inwardly.  _Where are you, Iwasaki? Why aren't you here?! And all you left for us was this pathetic note and a drawing? You didn't even explain why you're gone. I get that you're clueless, I really do, but...!_

There was some awkward shuffling as everyone pressed up against one another in a protective circle around the drawing.

"She was the best female manager we ever had," Iwaizumi suddenly spoke up.

"And a good friend," Oikawa added, his voice cracking slightly as old grief caught up to him once more. He let out a small, resigned sigh, and wiped at his eyes with the back of his wrist. She wouldn't have wanted him to cry.  _She tried to get me to move on. It'd be stupid for me to cry now, just because she's not here anymore._

"She was unfit as hell," Mizoguchi chuckled mirthlessly. "But a damn good manager and an even better friend."

"She wasn't scared of Kyoutani!" warbled Yahaba, his eyes wide and damp with tears. He didn't say anything after that, but they all knew how much that little fact mattered to him.

"Level-headed," Watari admitted. "She didn't need to do much to keep the team in line, but she was always a calming presence to have."

"A buffer for Kindaichi's idiocy," Kunimi threw in loftily, seeming far away. "A good teacher, and one of my best friends."

"She put the rest of our previous managers to shame," Irihata said with a smirk.

"We weren't that close to her," Mattsun confessed on behalf of Makki as well as himself. "But she's a good person. And that matters, too."

Kindaichi was the only one left who hadn't spoken. He was staring at the floor in some kind of shell-shocked, furious state. But when he lifted his head, his eyes were welling up with tears of frustration. "She—!" he shouted before cutting himself off. "She was the first girl that I..."  _Became friends with. Genuinely liked, despite everything. Maybe even_ —

His chest heaved, and he said no more.

An awkward silence ensued before someone asked the dreaded question that they were all wondering, "We're not getting a new manager, are we?"

Irihata opened his mouth to respond, but somebody else answered.

"No!" Kindaichi bellowed, his knuckles white. "We were doing perfectly fine on our own!"

Iwaizumi frowned, preparing to scold him, but refrained from doing so when he saw the stricken look on his face. Even Kunimi kept quiet.

"We don't need another manager!" Kindaichi hissed. "Especially not one that just ups and leaves without any explanation. Put the ban on female managers again," he added, panting as he met Irihata's steady gaze. "Please.  _Please_."  _I don't want to see another female manager in my life._ He knew that it would be unavoidable from all the matches they played against other schools, but he didn't want to see one here. "All of them will just be after Oikawa-senpai, anyway. There was no one better than  _her_ and there never  _will_  be."

The silence returned and dragged on, no one really sure what to say to him. Then Irihata spoke once more.

"Alright, then."

Kindaichi straightened. "What—"

"The ban's back in place. Like you said, Kindaichi, we were doing fine on our own before Iwasaki came. It's time for us to move on again." Irihata crossed his arms, eyes flashing. "Or isn't that what you want?"

Kindaichi hesitated. Then he nodded, resolve in his eyes. "Yes. That's what I want."

The ban was put back in place like it had never been lifted in the first place.

* * *

Kunimi waited a week for Kindaichi to cool his head off. He knew his friend was hurting, but Kindaichi always coped better on his own. When they had had their falling out with Kageyama, Kindaichi had broken off from unnecessary contact for a few days before slinking back to his place beside Kunimi.

Perhaps Kunimi would have given him longer, but the sight of the recorder sitting on his desk was starting to bother him in a way he couldn't explain. So, he took it to school with him, even though he only got to give it to Kindaichi after school.

"Hey," Kunimi said, stopping in his tracks. They were walking past Shino's old house, which had recently been sold to a new family. Kunimi had stopped right in front of the front gate of the house, but Kindaichi kept walking, not even turning around to acknowledge Kunimi. "I said hey, you bastard."

"What?!" Kindaichi snapped, whipping around. "What the hell do you want from me?" He looked instantly regretful, and that was apology enough for Kunimi. The boy walked forward, his hand outstretched.

"Here." Kunimi placed the cassette recorder in his hand. "Just listen to it when you're alone."

Kindaichi narrowed his eyes at it, as if it would explode at any given second. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure," Kunimi admitted. "But it was from Iwasaki."

"What?! And you don't know what it is?"

He shrugged helplessly. "It was for your ears, not mine."

Kindaichi scowled. "Why didn't you give it to me earlier?"

"Any earlier than this and you would have smashed it on the ground just by hearing her name," Kunimi said bluntly, his face darkening. "Just listen to it, idiot. Maybe you'll find the answers that you couldn't from that letter."

Kindaichi looked at the recorder in his hand despairingly before shaking his head. "Let's just get home," he rasped. "I don't want to stand here any longer."

Because of the house, Kunimi concluded, and he nodded. "Yeah, let's."

* * *

Kindaichi did his homework mechanically, and finished just as the sun was starting to set. He puffed out a sigh, pushing back from his work desk and flopping down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling.  _It's so damn suffocating in here._ The windows were open, but he felt like the walls were closing in on him.

The door opened. "Dinner's nearly ready," Yuuki called, poking her head through the doorway. "You okay, aniki?"

"... Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not hungry. Think okaa-san will be mad if I take an impromptu walk in the park?"

"Oh, yeah." Yuuki nodded seriously. "She'll be furious."

Kindaichi sat up. "A walk it is, then."

Yuuki snorted. "I'll make sure she doesn't see you leave. Hurry up before she starts putting the food on the table."

"Yeah, yeah." Kindaichi picked up his Aobajosai sports jacket and scooped the tape recorder into his jacket pocket. As Yuuki left, Kindaichi's gaze landed on his rollerskates. Inwardly shrugging, he grabbed the skates as well, heading downstairs as quietly as he could.

Yuuki had successfully stalled their mother, and Kindaichi was out the door before the woman was any the wiser.

It was still summer, which meant that it was still warm at night, but the breeze was still enough to chill one's skin. Kindaichi walked at a leisurely pace to the park—the same park that he and Kunimi—but mostly him—had spent their Monday afternoons teaching Shino how to skate without falling every five seconds. It normally ended in bruises—for all of them as Shino had had a habit of grabbing at anything and everything close by whenever she knew she was about to fall—but Kindaichi wouldn't have traded that for the world.

There was a meow, and Kindaichi looked down at his feet to see a familiar black cat staring up at him.

"Keiji?" Kindaichi uttered in disbelief. Then he relaxed. "Nice to see you again. It's been a while, huh?"

Keiji meowed again, and Kindaichi went on his way, knowing that the cat was closely following him. Once in a while, the feline's tail would brush against Kindaichi's legs and brush against the hem of his knee-length shorts.

Eventually, they reached the skating rink—Kindaichi was almost relieved to know that nobody had removed the Christmas lights that he, Kunimi, and Kurokawa Najimi had painstakingly put up. He wasted no time, taking off his jacket and shoes; exchanging the latter item for skates. Keiji sat on the bench, observing, as Kindaichi skated easy circles around the concrete pad.

The sun had fully set by now, and the Christmas lights lit up, making Kindaichi falter before continuing on. He wasn't sure how long he was there for, but before he knew it, he was changing back into his shoes again, and picking up his jacket.

Kindaichi stilled when he felt a weight, and dug his hand into his pocket to fish out the recorder.  _Oh, right. I brought this for a reason, now, didn't I?_ He looked to the dark horizon.  _It's not like okaa-san will be any madder than she already is._

So the boy and his cat sat down, Keiji curled up in a ball at his side as Kindaichi plugged in the special earbuds that the recorder had come with. He put the bud ends into his ears, his thumb brushing against the play button.

It was an old thing, but Kindaichi could guess how to use it.

There was another mew, and Kindaichi's gaze flicked to Keiji. The cat was looking up at him imploringly, green orbs wide.

"What?" Kindaichi huffed halfheartedly.

The tip of Keiji's tail flicked impatiently.

"Stupid cat," Kindaichi muttered, though he didn't mean a thing by it. Sighing, he pressed the play button, sitting up when he heard Shino's voice echo through his head.

_"Hello Kindaichi."_

Kindaichi's mouth grew dry.  _Iwasaki..._

 _"I'm not sure what to say."_ There was a pause as Shino deliberated.  _"I guess I'll start off with saying that I'm sorry I can't be here anymore. Have you seen the letter I sent the team? I know it was vague, but I wanted to tell you, not them. They're my friends, but you're..."_ Another pause.  _"Right. Well. I don't mind if you tell them. They actually deserve to know, but I didn't know how to say it. Even now, I'm unsure. But I think I've figured it out._

_"I don't think I ever told you this, but Mizoguchi accidentally hit me with his van before I joined the team. It wasn't his fault. I just wasn't paying attention, and I paid the price for it."_

* * *

_There was a screeching noise and a frantically braking van slammed into her, sending her sprawling onto the ground, her head thudding against the pavement._

* * *

_"The reason I fainted during class was because of the blood clots that were discovered in my brain after I was taken to hospital,"_ Shino continued.  _"I didn't look after my head well enough, and there were multiple incidents where I further injured my_ brain— _"_

* * *

 _Sighing, Kunimi hopped the low fence_ _and went over to where Kindaichi hung. Then he pulled on one arm with both hands, Kindaichi using his other hand to push against the windowsill. Inside the bathroom, Shino was pushing against his butt. Finally, his hips got through, and his legs spontaneously kicked upward as he was pulled through the gap by Kunimi. Shino flailed, banging her head against the wall as the window closed by itself._

* * *

_"—and I have to get a surgery to fix it. My father got a job offer in America about a month ago. He wasn't going to take it because of me, but this incident... We all decided that it would be best for him to accept the offer and move to America. That's where the doctors recommended that I should go for the best chance of recovery, and the job pays well. Originally, I was going to keep in contact with everyone, but..."_

* * *

_"Please!" Miho begged to a stricken Shino, Kido standing to the side and looking away. "You mustn't be distracted. This is for your own good. I can't let you be held back for the sake of your recovery! I can't lose you, too!"_

* * *

_"... I love my parents more than anything else in the world. And they won't be able to take it if they lose another child. For their sake and my own, you'll probably never see me again. So I guess since this is the last time..._

_Thank you. For everything. Thank you for teaching me happiness..."_

* * *

_Kindaichi, Kunimi, and Shino walked out of the bakery, carrying their melonpan and eating ravenously._

* * *

_"Kindness..."_

* * *

_Shino sat at a table across some girls and boys, teaching them how the First Principle of Differentiation was derived. They nodded and Shino offered them a small smile._

* * *

_"Understanding and..."_

* * *

_Ueno Konami smiled at Shino, holding a watermelon up._

* * *

_"True forgiveness. You taught me how to be a person again, something that I lost when I received damage to my frontal lobe during a car accident. If we ever see each other again, I'll tell you more about it. And maybe Sayori as well. But aside from those things, you also taught me two more things that come hand-in-hand..._

_"Sadness..._

_"And that comes from caring too much. I'm sad because we have to part ways. Even now, I think... I might cry. I'm sad because I have to part ways with you... because you... Kindaichi..._

_"You're the boy I like."_

Something wet fell onto the grass. A teardrop. More followed in quick succession.

There was nothing he could say. Kindaichi tilted his head back, staring up into the sky, and the single star that could be seen.

He startled when the voice started up again.

Shino's voice was pleading.

_"Please don't forget me. I'm not sure if you can ever forgive me, but please don't forget me. That would be... incredibly sad. I left you something to remember me by. You don't have to keep it. There's a mini drawer in the recorder. That's where it is. I couldn't write anything for Ueno, but please tell her that I forgive her and that we can be friends again if we ever see each other again."_

With shaking hands, Kindaichi shook the recorder, and heard something rattle. The cassette clicked and spluttered, startling Keiji slightly.

_"I'll... get... going, now."_

The recorder fell on the grass as Kindaichi buried his face into his palms, crying freely. "Iwasaki!" he shouted to the night, his voice raw. "You...

"Coward... I never even told you that—that..." He choked back a sob, trying to wipe his tears away. "Don't go."

Eventually, he picked the recorder up again and found the mini drawer. He pinched the tiny knob between his fingers and pulled it out.

Inside was a single melonpan phone charm.

Kindaichi pocketed it—

—And went home.

* * *

"The last stop before we reach the U.S.," Kido commented as he boarded the plane with Miho and Shino close behind. "Shino, have you read the cards yet? I saw you put them in your backpack."

"No, not yet," Shino murmured. "I'll do it later tonight."  _When both of you are asleep._

She read the one from her class first. Everybody had signed it, and a few had even added messages and drawings that were supposed to be inspiring her to get well. Shino tried not to dwell on a paragraph from Najimi that stated that she couldn't wait for her to come back.

Once she was done, she put it aside on the tray attached to the seat in front of her, and pulled out the one the boys had made for her.

The first message that she read was from Oikawa.

_Hi, Shino-chan! ^_^_

_I heard about your fall, and now everybody's missing you. Nobody is performing right. We really need you around, haha~_

_Get well soon, Shino-chan, because I really miss having you around. You've really helped me, and I'm forever grateful for that. I can't wait to see your face in the corridors again._

_From you ever-worried senpai, Oikawa Tooru._

The next was from Iwaizumi.

_Junko-baa keeps asking for you. It's awkward as hell, so you'd better come back soon. Also, about your... growth problem, Junko-baa recommends drinking lots of milk. Until your bladder explodes, she says._

_Never mind that. Hope you feel better soon. Kindaichi's been antsy without you._

_Iwaizumi Hajime._

Then came Yahaba's. It was strange, as someone else had piggybacked on it.

_Hi, my cute manager-chan! I've been so lonely without you, Watari as well. Psst, I know you two don't know each other pretty well, but you should see Kyoutani sometime. I think he's lonely._

**_Don't listen to him, he's just perverted idiot._ **

_Oi! Don't hijack my message like that. Anyway, get well soon, Iwasaki-chan!_

**_What he said._ **

_From Yahaba **and Kyoutani Kentarou.**_

The rest was mostly the same. Get-well messages as well as jokes and anecdotes. Finally— _finally_ —she read Kunimi's and Kindaichi's.

_Hey, Iwasaki. Don't strain yourself too badly, and I'll see you soon. We've got a lot to talk about including how Kindaichi has the hots for you._

_\- Kunimi_

_**Don't talk about things you don't know about, asshole. You've never even been on a date in your life. Anyway, don't listen to him Iwasaki. Just eat well, sleep well, and get your ass back over here because everyone's slowly dying. Seriously, we even had a team meeting just to write this card. Also, Oikawa-senpai and I miss you. Who else is going to help me with my math homework?** _

_**Sincerely, Me (Kindaichi)** _

A circle of wetness hit the cardboard paper as Shino bent her head over the card. Then she reached out and hugged both of the cards close to her chest, sniffling.

Tears were trailing down her face for the first time in years, and she had to resist the urge to scream and force the plane to turn back around.  _Why is it... that even when you're not here, you still get to teach me a lesson? You've taught me love and sadness; isn't that enough? I didn't know such a painful thing like this could exist. It makes my heart heavy and hurt. What's it called?_

Her fingers clenched around the fabric of her shirt over her heart, tears pooling at her chin.  _I think it's called..._

_Regret._

* * *

**_A/N: And that's it. That was the last chapter._ **

**_JK, we got epilogue and a Sayori story that's the last chapter. Think of the Sayori thing as an after-credits scene, like the ones in Marvel movies._ **


	23. Soar

The sizzle of meat snapped Kindaichi back to attention, and he straightened, the chopsticks between his hand twitching.

The buzz of chatter whirled around him as friends and family and friends conversed, catching up on lost time.

"Hey, everyone!" Everyone lifted their heads as another man joined them, a broad grin on his face. "Sorry I'm late, I got held up at work. Kindaichi, hey!"

Kindaichi returned the smile, lifting a bottle of sake in greeting. "We haven't met up since college graduation, Ishida."

"C'mon, don't be like that!" Ishida plopped down on the spare mat next to Kindaichi. "We went drinking together last month."

"I meant with all our friends from class," Kindaichi shot back, sliding him an bottle of alcohol.

Ishida took a look around, and Kindaichi followed his gaze. There were about ten of them there, and they all knew each other one way or another. For Kindaichi, most of them were simply mutual friends. There were only a few that he was truly friendly with.

"Dude!" someone called Ishida over. "It's been so long! How are you, man?"

Ishida engaged in a conversation about starting from the bottom at his workplace, leaving Kindaichi to turn the slices of meat on the grill in front of him.

"You okay?"

Kindaichi looked up and turned his head to see Kunimi, who was sitting next to him, his hair as impeccable as always. They'd both grown, of course, but they looked almost exactly the same as their fifteen-year-old selves, simply taller and broader.

And, well, more well-groomed.

Kindaichi offered him a smile. "I'm fine. Seriously. Just... work, you know?"

"Uh huh." He didn't seem convinced, but let it go. "Hey, pass the beef tongue."

"Kindaichiiii-kun!" There was a long whine and Kindaichi yelped as Kurokawa Najimi draped herself over his shoulders, laughing. "You arrived not long before Ishida-kun! Do you not want to see us?"

"Gah! Kurokawa, you're not drunk again, are you?!"

"Trust me, it's more like a natural high," Kunimi snorted as he dug into his beef tongue.

"Whaat?" Najimi scoffed, standing up and folding her arms. "I'm not drunk, you idiot." She tapped the badge pinned on her shirt. "What, are you blind?"

"Ohh." It clicked almost instantly, and a more genuine smile appeared on Kindaichi's face. "How far along are you?"

Najimi sobered, and gently patted her still-flat stomach. "Three months, now...!" Now that Kindaichi really took a good look at her, he could see how much she had changed from their days in college and high school. Her dark, brown hair now fell down her back in slight waves, and she had a side-swept fringe. And she was practically glowing. "Ryuu and I can't wait~! We've been discussing baby names, but we're stumped, hehe..."

 _She looks so happy._ Kindaichi's hand tightened around the sake bottle. "Kurokawa. I'm happy for you."

"Hee! Thanks, Kindaichi-kun." Najimi beamed at him, then offered the same smile to Kunimi. "You know, I'm glad we kissed and made up in the past, because it'd be hella awkward to do it now."

Kunimi nodded. "Emphasis on hella. I'm glad you're happy... Najimi."

Her smile grew a little more somber. "Thanks... I'm glad you and Arisu-chan are happy, too."

"Well, then!" Najimi clapped her hands together and wriggled between her two friends. "How's adult life been treating you?"

"Ughhh," Kunimi groaned and slumped onto the table, burying his face in the sleeves of his sweater. "It's such a drag. But a necessary one. I want to go back to high school. It was so much easier back then."

"Hah!" Kindaichi chuckled. "It was, wasn't it? We graduated seven years ago... and most of us are still trying to have stability."

"That's what happens when you go to an art college," someone chimed in.

"Hey, some of us are successful!" Najimi said indignantly. "I'm just second to the head in the design company I work at!"

Kunimi lazily lifted his head. "Really? Well, I'm actually a boss."

"Yeah, well, my company's a lot bigger than yours, so there. What about you, Kindaichi-kun?"

"Hm?" Kindaichi swallowed his food. "I work in IT. Nothing special." He paused. "I'm still living in the same apartment I shared with Kunimi during college."

It was a mundane existence, he had to admit, but he was comfortable and the company he worked for treated him well enough.

"Speaking of jobs," Najimi said as she dug through her purse before pulling out a letter. "Ami knew we were meeting up tonight and sent this in advance."

"Ami?" Kindaichi perked up. "Didn't she go to France a few years ago?"

"Yep, to pursue her baking career."

Kunimi and Kindaichi both leaned toward Najimi so that they could all read the latter together.

 _Hi, everyone!_ the letter read.  _I hope you're all doing well. As you probably know, I shut down my pastery shop in Miyagi to learn under a master chef in Nice, Paris. I really love it over here; there's something new and interesting to see every day, even after living here for three years! When my shift is over, I can't help but look out the window at the moon and think of all of you back home. I guess that's why I'm writing this to begin with. I hope it doesn't sound too flowery or lame, heehee._

_I really feel as if time has passed us by very quickly. We had good times together, you know? And that helped my confidence and self-esteem. Knowing that there are people who love me for who I am. There hasn't been a period in my life quite like my high school and college years. It's a little bit sad, actually._

_I want to meet everyone again someday. I want to see all of you with smiles on your faces._

_Yours truly, Suzuki Ami._

They all stared at the letter, silent. Then Najimi placed it on the table, knowing that the men had long finished reading.

"What a happy little letter," Kunimi mused.

"Ain't it?" concurred Najimi, leaning back. "It's a good night, tonight. But it'd be even better if everyone was really here." She shot Kindaichi a side glance that he thoroughly ignored. "Oi, you're doing it again. Clamming down on your emotions."

"I am not," Kindaichi protested when Najimi attempted to pinch his cheeks to snap him out of his trance. "I'm just..."

Najimi raised a brow. "Just what?"

"... Revisiting old memories."

"Ah..." Najimi sighed, chewing on her lip. "I do that as well, sometimes. Memories... sometimes they fall out of my eyes as tears."

"You're probably just hormonal," Kunimi said callously, putting another slice of beef tongue on the grill.

"Ack! Shut up, you bastard!" Najimi elbowed him in the side. "Just because I have a bun in the oven doesn't mean I can't beat your ass."

"Like I said, hormonal."

Their voices melted into the background, and before Kindaichi knew it, the reunion was over and they were all filing out of the Korean barbecue place, most of them buzzed.

"Now for the after-party!" a woman with her hair tied up in a hazardous ponytail declared, grinning. Kagawa. "Who's up for some karaoke?!"

"Count me in!"

"Me, haha!"

Najimi and Kunimi had voiced their agreement also when the former noticed that Kindaichi was slowly, but surely, walking away from them.

"Eh? Kindaichi-kun?" Najimi called after him. "Aren't you coming?"

"Oh..." Kindaichi smiled crookedly and held up an apologetic hand. "Sorry, I have lots of work to do at home for tomorrow. Gotta wake up early."

"Aw, okay. But next time I see you, expect a lot of complaining about my hubby." Najimi grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "Make sure you get home safe!"

"You didn't drive here, did you?" Kunimi inquired, hands shoved in the pockets of his winter coat.

"Nah. My apartment's only a short walk from here, anyway."

It was farewell until next time, and the noise of the crowd of friends slowly disappeared as Kindaichi went home, taking his time.

 _Seven years,_ he mused to himself, exhaling. His breath came out as a white puff in the winter chill.  _It's been seven years since we all saw each other at the same time. Everybody looks so different now. Kagawa has long hair. Miyuki wears contacts. Ishida..._ He sweatdropped.  _His hair doesn't stick out everywhere anymore. Seven years..._

He paused at a four-way intersection before going on his way.  _That means its been fourteen years since I last saw her. Since I last spoke to her. I've tried to reach her so many times... through social media, friends... but it's like she disappeared off the face of the earth. I thought that she would write to me, at least. She knew where I lived before I moved out._

Kindaichi reached his apartment in no time. Once he was inside, he took off his shoes and flopped belly-first onto his bed.  _Iwasaki. I'm not mad at you anymore._ His eyes dropped as the alcohol in his system lulled him to sleep.  _So you can stop..._

_... Leaving me hanging now._

* * *

It was the patter of rain that woke Kindaichi up before the sun had even risen over the horizon. His head wasn't pounding too hard, as he hadn't gotten himself completely smashed last night, so he hopped out of bed and into the shower.

 _Right,_ Kindaichi told himself,  _first things first. Gotta get all my work done so I can chill the rest of the day._ His stomach growled as he turned off the shower tap.  _I think I have some cup noodles in the cupboard._

He quickly got dressed into his pyjamas, having worn his outside clothes to sleep last night, and scouted his cupboards for instant noodles. There was none, and he sighed, knowing that if there weren't any cup noodles, it would be unlikely that there was anything else remotely edible in the house.

He couldn't go out his his current attire, so he quickly changed into something similar to what he had worn to work yesterday. Then he threw on his coat, grabbed his wallet, keys, and umbrella, and went out.

It was a quiet morning, many people turned off by the idea of going out so early in the morning while it was raining. Elsewhere, there would still be traffic jam and honking cars, but Kindaichi's apartment was located in a quiet neighbourhood. Normally, the loudest thing he heard all week was the beeping of the garbage truck as it arrived.

With the umbrella opened up above him, Kindaichi walked through the rain in silence, only picking up the pace when the precipitation started to get heavier.

To get to the 24-hour mart closest to his apartment, he would have to take the long way around due to some construction work. Luckily, another option for him was to walk through the the cemetary. It was one of those parks with few gravestones, and one that fortunately didn't give off a creepy vibe.

"Huh?" Kindaichi uttered to himself, seeing another figure not too far away in the park. Through the rain, he could tell that it was a woman based on her curvy figure. She too was carrying an umbrella. She was standing over a single grave marker.

Since he has to walk past her, he kept going. He had nearly reached her when she turned slightly, and Kindaichi jolted.

 _That face...! I've seen her before!_ Somewhere in the past, yes, in the past... when he was still young and enamoured with the world, thinking that he could become a professional volleyball player just by working hard.

Not even Oikawa had done that.

Kindaichi hadn't seen him in years.

She seemed to recognize him, too, as her eyebrow raised and a contemplative smirk graced her lips. "Well, well, if it isn't Iwasaki's boy toy."

It clicked almost instantly. "Ueno Konami-san," Kindaichi said, his voice neutral.  _God, I almost didn't recognize her. She looks completely different!_

And indeed she did. Instead of the long, messy black hair she had had during high school, Ueno now wore her hair in a short bob that reached past her jawline ever so slightly. She also had one amaranth eye covered in a way that made her look sleek, and perhaps a touch mysterious. And she had... certainly grown in some departments.

"Eyes up here, kid."

"Kid? I'm twenty-nine."

"So what?" Ueno shifted again so that she was completely facing him. "You'll always be a kid to me. The way you delivered that message during first year really made it show."

He winced. "You still remember, huh?"

"How could I not?" Ueno snorted. "You burst into my classroom during lunchtime, scared the ever living hell out of Yachi, picked a fight with Kageyama before you left, and for what? To tell me that I didn't deserve to have such a great best friend like Iwasaki? That she was gone and never coming back?"

"I get it," Kindaichi bit out. "And I'm sorry."

Ueno hummed. "Right."

They stood there in silence, the rain pouring. Kindaichi had long forgotten about his noodles.

"Who're you visiting?" Kindaichi murmured.

"My mom. She died a few years back. Tsk. Pneumonia of all things."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Don't be, kid. She was a huge gossip and a major thorn in my side." Her face sombered. "But she wasn't... a bad parent. My dad wasn't around much, so it was a lot of pressure for her to raise me. Neither of them were bad parents, in the end."

"Then what was the problem?"

"I was a bad daughter." Ueno pursed her lips, reaching out from the safety of her umbrella to stroke the top of the gravestone. "And an even worse friend. I'm glad I ran into you today."

"Hm?"

Ueno smiled at him. "She's back."

Kindaichi felt his heart twist. "What?"

"I said she's back. Kindaichi... Iwasaki's back. And she left me here not long ago. If you run, you can probably catch up to her at the intersection."

Ueno's eyes followed the umbrella as it fell to the grass with nary a sound, Kindaichi dashing away. Then her gaze lowered again, as she traced the name on the gravestone.

"Hey, okaa-san. I just ran into another person in love. That's twice in one day. Small world, isn't it?"

Kindaichi panted as he ran all the way down to the intersection, passing the convenient store that held all of his favorite noodle brands and last the perpetually broken street lamp that twitched and buzzed all the time.

Finally, he reached the intersection, and looked around frantically.  _Iwasaki? Iwasaki!_

There was no sign of her anywhere.

Chuckling self-deprecatingly, he leaned against a lamppost as the sun began to rise over the city, painting the clouds blue and pink.  _Figures. I should have known that I wouldn't be meeting her again so dramatically._

He turned his head heavenward, eyelids hooded as rain dripped down his face and down his shirt.  _At least it's a nice day._ He'd always liked the rain.

A gentle footfall, barely audible through the noise of the heavy rain pounding the pavement, reached his ears, but he did nothing about it. Kindaichi closed his eyes—

—and snapped them open when he felt a warmer, smaller body lean against the lamppost on the opposite side.

Their fingers brushed and Kindaichi stiffened before turning around, eyes wide. All the while, rain was pooling at his chin.

The sun rose higher, and a ray of light nearly blinded Kindaichi. He blinked, and the girl he hadn't seen since the start of time stared back at him.

She offered him a closed umbrella, and he briefly wondered why she wasn't using it. Maybe she was like him. Maybe she was a child of the rain. "Hello, Kindaichi."

Numbly, Kindaichi took the umbrella from her, his breath hitching. "Iwasaki, you... never wrote."

He could have smacked himself for that remark. Fourteen years, and this was the first thing he said to her? Fool of him.

Her gaze lowered. "I wrote to you every day for fourteen years, but I never sent a single one. But here we are." Iwasaki—no,  _Shino_ —tilted her head slightly, a small, wobbly smile appearing on her face. "Do you... want to go skating?" Her voice wavered; unsure.

There was a beat.

"Why don't we get out of the rain first?" Awkwardly, he offered the umbrella back to her, not knowing what else to do.

She agreed, and the two walked to a nearby bus stop.

"Iwasaki," he blurted as she shook the water off her umbrella, her blonde bangs sticking to her face. Even in her drenched state, she was as beautiful as she'd ever been to him. Her hair was long again, and fell down her back in waves. Tears pricked the back of his eyes. "You're finally home." After fourteen long, long years, she was  finally home.

"Yes." Shino took a step toward him, dropping her umbrella and taking him by the hands as she smiled up at him. "I'm home."

* * *

_fin_


	24. Respite

_**A/N: Omg, it's finally over. Finally, I can mark this as complete and be on my way. Thank you for reading, everyone.** _

_**Warning: Suicide; implied self-harm; neglect; abusive relationship: destructive psyche** _

**_BPD notes taken from Dr. Frost Webtoon._ **

* * *

Sayori let out a small gasp as she laid eyes on her baby sister for the first time. She was a cute little thing—blonde like her mother with bright, blue eyes. They were paler when they were not under the light, Sayori quickly realized when Miho, worn and weary, passed the child to her husband.

"She's beautiful," Kido murmured, fingering the tiny, tiny tuft of blonde hair on her head. He looked to Sayori, who was staring up at the bundle in his arms in amazement. "This is your little sister, Sayori-chan. Do you want to hold her?"

He knelt down, and Sayori wavered. "But... I fall?" she asked worriedly, looking to her mother.

"You won't," Miho encouraged, the bags under her eyes becoming more pronounced than ever. "Please... just do as your father says. I'm too tired for you right now."

"Okie." Sayori was only two, and she was still getting a grasp on language. She toddled forward, arms outstretched. "Ooft." Her baby sister was heavier than she had expected her to be. "Na-me?" She was too enamoured with the baby to notice that Kido was still supporting most of the babe's weight, knowing that Sayori couldn't possibly carry her all by herself.

"Shino," Kido told her, smiling brightly—brighter than Sayori had ever seen him smile in her two years of living.

"Shee-no," Sayori enunciated slowly. She look down at the baby's sleeping face. Then she broke out into a toothy grin. "Hi, Shee-no baby."

* * *

"Okaa-san, look!" For her fourth birthday, Sayori had wanted to go to the local ice skating rink. "Pretty."

"Aa," Miho agreed. She was holding both of her daughters by the hand, while Kido was a few steps behind them, fiddling with a camera.

The birthday was spoiled, however, when an older kid pushed Sayori over on the ice while her parents weren't looking.

"Little girls shouldn't be here," the boy told her, scowling. He was around eight years old, and holding a hockey stick in his hands. "Go and play with dolls instead." Then he was gone, and Sayori sniffled and shuffled her way back to the edge of the rink, leading Shino along with her.

The two-year-old had looked mostly confused with the exchange, as there had been big boy words and big girl words involved, but she seemed to understand the gist of the situation.

"Nee-chan," Shino warbled, patting her hand. "I'm... with you. Here." She pointed to herself, and Sayori thought the red blush on her cheeks (from the cold) was extremely adorable.

"Let's go ask okaa-san and otou-san for ice cream," Sayori suggested.

"Okie."

Shino wasn't very good at balancing, and relied on Sayori to pull her around safely.

"Did you have fun?" Miho asked when they returned from the ice. She then rolled her eyes at her husband. "I swear, this is the twenty-first century and you're still as technologically retarded as ever. We didn't even manage to take a single photo."

"How was I supposed to know that you had to take the lens cover off after fixing the brightness?!" Kido squawked, outraged and out of patience. "You infuriating woman...!"

"It wasn't fun," Sayori said with a pout. "There was a mean boy."

Miho's eyes lit up in alarm. "He didn't do anything to Shino-chan, did he?"

"No."

She relaxed. "Good. Shino-chan, I'll buy you ice cream."

"Yay!"

Sayori stared after her mother and her sister, confusion swimming in her eyes. What had just happened? She wasn't sure, but... it felt a little hurtful. She looked up st Kido, who was completely ignorant to the situation, still trying to fix whatever was wrong with his camera.

So, shrugging, Sayori chased after the female members of her family. "I want ice cream, too!"

* * *

Today was the worst day of her life. Sayori's face was tear stained as she sat in the row of chairs outside her sister's hospital room. She had turned nine not long ago, and for she had to  _keep it together_.

It was all her fault.

If only she had been quicker to warn them about the drunk driver that had careened into the back of their family car. If only she hadn't allowed Shino to climb to the front end of the car and fiddle with the GPS. If only... if only...

Tears gathered in her eyes and she began to cry noisily. A passing nurse gave her a pitying look—she was, after all, a little girl sitting by herself in a corridor full of strangers—but went on her way.

 _Please be okay!_ she begged silently. This was her sister's fifth day at the hospital, and Sayori had heard words and phrases like "surgery", "brain" and "essentially an emotional lobotomy" being thrown around. She couldn't make any sense of it. Was Shino going to be okay or not? She  _had_  to be okay. She just  _had to_.

A few days later, Shino was apparently in the clear and... recovering. According to her parents, anyway. She hadn't been allowed to see her little sister, no matter how much she begged. Today, Sayori had brought with her her favorite toys for comfort: a stuffed bunny and a stuffed bear with an upside-down triangle of brown stitching as a mouth. It had black button eyes and it was Sayori's most favorite toy in the world.

Sayori was sitting outside Shino's hospital room as always, and was slowly nodding off when the door opened in front of her, and she lurched. "Huh? Okaa-san? Can I see her now?"

Miho shook her head, looking irritated by the question. "For the last time, not yet, Sayori. Her mind... is not in the best of places. We're not sure how she would react to you." There was a hint of fear in her voice; fear for her daughter.

Sayori deflated. "Okay... I understand."

"No, you don't," Miho said dismissively. "You're just a child. Honey, since your sister doesn't have any toys right now, give me the bear."

"H-huh? But... it's my bear...!" Sayori's eyes welled up with tears.

Miho tugged at the bear's arm, her patience wearing thin. "Oh, for goodness sake. Sayori!" She stood up straighter and looked down at her quivering daughter.

"B-but... It's... It's mine." More tears appeared in her eyes as her bottom lip quivered. She had been with that bear all her life. Even when she and Shino fought over toys, the latter had never gotten her hands on her bear.

"Stop being selfish," Miho admonished, snatching the bear out of her arms, ignoring her startled yelp. The action nearly caused Sayori to drop the bunny toy as well. "Your sister doesn't have her toys here. Do you not want her to recover fast? Honestly, Sayori, dear..."

Cold water splashed all over her back and Sayori stiffened, her thoughts running at a hundred miles an hour.  _Of course I do. Ofcourseofcourseofcourse! She's my sister. I love her. Lovelovelove. I'm such a bad, selfish girl. Badbadbad._ "... Okay," she sniffled, her voice barely coming out as a whisper.  _I have to. Shino-chan is injured and I'm being a bad sister..._ She rubbed at her eyes to try and chase those useless tears away. They dribbled down her chubby cheeks instead.

Mournfully, she watched her mother turn her back to her, stuffed bear in hand, and knock on the door of Shino's hospital room. "Honey, it's me~ I've brought something for you."

Two weeks later, Shino was out of the hospital. Sayori had to stay at home while her mother and father brought Shino back home.

She was horrified at what she saw. There were bandages wrapped around Shino's head and she was utterly... lifeless. Detached. Robotic.

Sayori wasn't even sure if Shino was the same person anymore. Those eyes... looked far too old.

No. No, she couldn't think like that. Shino was  _her sister_. So Sayori moved forward and gave Shino a big hug, ignoring Miho's disapproving frown. She knew why her mother was so anxious. Shino had always been a bit frail as a child, and the accident gave her parents even more reason to... to...

Sayori smiled into Shino's bony shoulder. "Hi. You're finally home."

"Yes," Shino said monotonously. "I'm home."

It was hard at first. It was getting to know her all over again, as if they weren't sisters but strangers living in the same house instead. It wasn't as if Shino didn't remember her... Sayori took solace in that at least. But she was so...

Unresponsive.

It shook Sayori down to the core, but she would never say it out loud to anyone. Ever. Her sister's road to recovery was paved by Sayori's faith. It was, she told herself. It was.

When she asked her father what had happened to Shino, he had replied that the accident had... destroyed who she once was. She was unfeeling. Emotionless, essentially.

Sayori refused to believe such a thing, even if that was what the medical reports said. She and Shino had been learning piano before the accident, and Sayori dragged her sister down to the living room every night after their showers to play a song. Sometimes, they did a duet. Shino played mechanically, but it was enough for Sayori. She had heard that music healed the soul.

She prayed to God every night that her sister's soul would be healed.

* * *

Sayori didn't know what to think of her sister's new friend, Ueno Konami. The girl was too smart for her own good, and a little creepy as well. Those red eyes—amaranth?—bore into her soul.

She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or offended when Ueno dismissed her as someone uninteresting and simply not worth the effort.

Both, she decided on in the end. She didn't like Ueno hanging around Shino, but who was she to dictate who Shino could be friends with? She was a bad, bad sister, after all—one that couldn't even willing share her toys with her own sister.

She deserved everything that happened to her. She just knew it.  _Knew it_.

"Okaa-san?" Sayori asked her mother one day, lifting her head up from her coloring book. Her mother was folding clothes on the living room floor while Sayori colored for a self-given assignment.

"Yes?" Miho replied, almost airily. She was paying more attention to the shirt she was folding—Shino's favorite shirt—than to Sayori.

"Where did my bear go?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh." Miho stopped what she was doing and looked Sayori in the eye, her brow cocked. "It was getting dirty so I threw it away. Why?"

The crayon slipped from Sayori's fingers. Suddenly, everything came crashing down on her—Shino's emotionless state, the stress of the accident, the fact that her parents had totally forgotten about Sayori's tenth birthday in the rush, Shino befriending Ueno—everything right down to her favorite bear toy, which she had treasured and loved for as long as she could remember.

"Um," Sayori choked, feeling overwhelmed. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Okay. Come back down and help me after, okay?"

Sayori fled upstairs, the back of her eyeballs stinging. She stumbled in the corridor before locking herself in the bathroom, tears slipping down her face as she cried and cried and cried.

_I can only cry... in the bathroom. Not in the bedroom, because Shino shares the same room. The bathroom is where I can be alone. Nowhere else._

_Nowhere else._

* * *

Middle school was a daunting thing. Sayori made sure that she looked good on her first day, even going as far as to pluck her eyebrows to the best of her ability. It turned out okay, in her opinion, and she quickly donned the uniform of her new school: Chidoriyama Junior High.

She also put a white ribbon-headband in her hair, separating her blonde bangs and the rest of her hair. Then she went downstairs, nervousness making her stomach flip.

"Ready for your first day of school?" Kido asked as Sayori grabbed a piece of bread and put it in the toaster. She liked plain bread—no butter or paste for her.

"Mmhm," Sayori replied.

"Be good," Miho offered when Sayori was about to leave. "Make sure you don't get in trouble."

Chidoriyama Junior High... what a place it was. It was much larger than her elementary school had been, and there were more than a few faces that she couldn't place. It would have been nice.

Her years there were not terrible, but she was a loner who kind of gravitated between friendship groups from time to time. She tried to act like how they wanted her to, but it was... tiring. She was better off being herself  _by_  herself.

But her middle school years, while mundane, sparked the first relationship that she would ever have.

It happened when she went down to the gymnasium to watch a practice match between her school and another middle school—Kitagawa Daiichi. She had gone down with two acquaintances. They left before she did without inviting her to join them, so she stayed.

"Mine!" the libero on Chidoriyama's team—Nishinoya, was it?—bellowed out before promptly receiving the ball, sending it to their setter.

"Nice receive!" someone praised.

"Shit," Nishinoya said, a wild grin on his face. "That guy has a strong serve... I nearly didn't get that."

Sayori, who was sitting in the bleachers, looked toward the opposing team, noting a brown-haired boy looking serious as the ball was sent to Kitagawa Daiichi's side. He was... handsome.

Sayori blushed.  _Really, really handsome. I... want to talk to him._ But what would she say to him? She shook her head. He would probably be detachedly polite to her like everyone else was. Why would a handsome guy like him like someone who didn't fit in anywhere? Someone like her. She was like the key that unlocked no door; a key that nobody wanted.

She later found out that his name was Oikawa. Tooru. Oikawa Tooru. And she lingered outside to watch Kitagawa Daiichi file back into the bus, only for Oikawa to suddenly disrupt everything and push back.

"Sorry, sorry!" he said with a sheepish laugh, a close-eyed smile on his perfect face. "I left something behind. Excuse me~"

It was his phone, apparently. Oikawa ducked back into the hall and back out. Then he noticed Sayori standing awkwardly by herself, and he blinked.

"I know you," he said to her, smiling sweetly. "You were the one that was sitting up in the bleachers. What happened to your friends?"

"Ah... they left," Sayori muttered.

"Why would they leave a pretty girl like you?" he wondered before turning his gaze to the annoyed coach standing by the bus. "Sorry, can't talk. Gotta go. That ribbon in your hair looks cute, by the way."

"Really?" She looked up at him, wide-eyed. "Thank you. But... it's actually a headband." She'd been wearing it in all of her three years at Chidoriyama and no one had ever complimented it. So why...? A blush reached her face.  _He said I was pretty, too..._

"Oh, headband then," Oikawa amended a tad impatiently. "See ya!"

Sayori states longingly after him. "Goodbye..." She was probably never going to see him again. From the way he played, she was sure that he would be going to some kind of special volleyball school. Perhaps Shiratorizawa?

"Shino-chan!" Sayori whispered to her sister that night in their shared bedroom. "I met a cute guy today."

"Oh, okay," Shino said blankly.

"He was really, really cute. And nice. And did I say cute?"

"Yes, you did. Three times."

Sayori sighed blissfully. "Thought so. Night, Shino-chan. Sorry for bothering you."

"Goodnight, nee-chan. And it's okay. I forgive you."

* * *

She didn't think that it was possible, but high school was an even more daunting prospect than middle school.

Over the holidays, she had learned how to do makeup by herself, and she put on some mild makeup before going to school.

Aobajosai. Her parents insisted on her getting a good education, so they had chosen the private school. Money wasn't exactly an issue in their family, and finances were maintained well enough.

"I hope nobody's a snob," Sayori murmured to herself, clutching her book bag tighter than ever as she rode on the subway. The school was a little far, but she could deal. What  _was_  close, however, was the university campus east from her house. It was within walking distance, and it was where she wanted to study after high school.

And it was at that school where she met the cute boy from Kitagawa Daiichi again. It was during lunch, when she had gone down to the vending machines for a drink.

"Oh, its you again!" he said pleasantly, giving her a smile. "I never got your name."

"Oh, um, it's Iwasaki... Sayori," she said shyly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Oikawa Tooru."

He was so nice.

And she ate it all up.

* * *

Oikawa Tooru had a girlfriend. She was blonde, like Sayori, and strikingly beautiful. The makeup she wore only served to accentuate her sharp, sleek features. They both had the bluest eyes, but Chiyoko Izumi's seem to shine like the brightest ocean. Compared to her, Sayori felt like a washed up imitation.

But that wasn't all. Sayori... was nice. Izumi, on the other hand, was as mean as mean could get. And she did it all behind her boyfriend's back.

They started dating during the start of their second year, and Sayori was simply waiting for Oikawa to open his eyes and realize just how much of a bitch she was.

She didn't want to interfere. That would... probably make things worse. And what if she came off as clingy?

Sayori wanted to scream in frustration every time she saw them together. And she did. Just not in front of their faces. No, she waited until she was home. She waited until she was alone in the bathroom, and her parents were out. Shino could probably hear. But she didn't care. Since first year began, Sayori hadn't even the time to think about Shino.

Oh, Shino was great, and she loves her, but  _Oikawa_.

He deserved so much better.

Sayori's sixteenth birthday had just passed when they finally broke up. It took place at the back of the school, but there was enough shouting for the entire school to hear.

Poor Oikawa. He didn't deserve such a mean, manipulating girlfriend.

"Hi," Sayori said hesitantly a few days after their breakup. He was brooding by himself on the roof, an uneaten bento by his side. She'd followed him up.

"Hm?" Oikawa's features softened. "Iwasaki-chan, hey. Sorry, I'm just..."

"Being emo?"

He snorted. "I guess."

It was that interaction that solidified their friendship. Soon, she joined him and Iwaizumi almost everywhere they went. They laughed and joked together, and Sayori fell deeper and deeper into love for him.

But the screaming didn't stop. She kept it at home. She didn't want to bother him. What if he got mad? What if he left her? What if she was  _badbadbad_ —

It was near the end of third year when she lashed out at him, slapping him across the face outside the gymnasium.

She was angry. So, so angry.

"You... never have time for me!" she shouted at him, her face contorted in fury. His eyes were wide. Terrified, even. It only served to incense her more, even as the rock in her stomach grew and grew. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST QUIT IT, HUH?! WHAT ABOUT ME?! I'M YOUR GIRLFRIEND, YOU ASSHOLE!" Her chest heaved and she hunched over before she straightened. Tears welled up in her eyes as a crushing feeling entered her chest. "I fucking hate you all. Mean bastards."

That wasn't the first piece of abuse she'd thrown at him. But it was the first time that she had struck him.

_"I HATE YOU AND YOUR TRASHY FRIENDS! THEY ALWAYS PULL YOU AWAY FROM ME!"_

_"WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO STUDY LAW MEANS YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT TO DO?!"_

_"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO AFTER SCHOOL IF YOU KEEP RUNNING OFF TO PLAY YOUR STUPID VOLLEYBALL?! YOU BASTARD!"_

_"HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME LIKE THIS!"_

She built him up as great. Then she tore him down, telling him that he was worthless.

It was an unending, irrational cycle of fury... and the suffocating depression that followed. She didn't know why she was like this. It just kept happening and happening and  _happening_  and before she knew it...

"It's not going to work out if you keep acting like this. Just... don't talk to me anymore."

It was over.

The scars on her wrists transformed to scars on her heart.

* * *

Shino had always been the better sister. She was the one that her parents loved and adored. She was the one who got good grades. She was the one with a future pretty much secured.

Sayori would never be able to live up to that sort of example. Not when her greatest talent was art and photography. Not when Shino was already doing mathematics beyond her years and topping all of her classes despite hardly ever studying.

Shino was the  _better_  sister. The  _talented_  sister.

The wind blew around her hair as she stood on the edge, looking out to the horizon. It was a beautiful summer afternoon, and the sun was hidden behind the clouds.

She shivered. Unless Shino had read the note, nobody knew that she was up here. She was completely and utterly alone.

Her last moments would be spent at the university campus. The one that was so close to her house. The one that she wanted to attend in the future. It was the tallest building in the immediate vicinity.

Sayori smiled.

And jumped.

But then she was there as she fell.  _Nononono_ , she was there. She was  _down there_. Shino was there and she wasn't looking up.  _Nonononono_ , she didn't want her baby sister to see this.

 _Nononono, she was a bad sister, a badbadbad_ —

* * *

Shino tried not to bring up the memory too often. Mostly, it was hazy. But she remembered that there'd been lots of screaming, and the warmth and wetness of fluids and blood splattered across her front. Sayori had landed right in front of her.

She could have stopped her. She'd been researching. Writing. But it was all for naught.

She was a bad sister.

* * *

_Borderline Personality Disorder._

_People with Borderline Personality Disorder are extremely afraid of being abandoned by others. People with Borderline Personality Disorder express this fear unreasonable demands and fits of rage._

_If someone with Borderline Personality Disorder feels like someone acknowledges and sympathises with them, their fragile ego is drawn to the person. They will give endless compliments, praise, and trust to the other person in order to maintain the relationship._

_But if the person grows tired of this kind of emotional roller coaster or tries to put a bit of distance between them, the patient explodes with rage and insults them before they can escape. This also applies to romantic relationships._

_While normal relationships are based on a mutual symbiosis, these kinds of patients are akin to psychological parasites._

Unblinking, Shino stared down at her notes. These were supposed to be the solution. The mathematical equations she was supposed to use to solve an applied problem.

She stood up and grabbed the notes. Then she tore them apart over the bin.

Shino stared blankly at the shreds of paper in the can before exiting her bedroom, the door closing behind her and leaving behind an empty, lifeless room.


End file.
